Five men were charged with kidnapping and firearms offences following April 14 arrests in Whitehorse.
According to an April 27 RCMP bulletin, 911 calls went out shortly before 9 p.m. on April 14. The calls were tracked to the Kulan subdivision north of downtown Whitehorse.
“An investigator attended the area and quickly determined the need for additional resources. The scene was contained and the Critical Incident Program Team was engaged, including the Emergency Response Team,” the bulletin reads.
According to police, eight men were located at the property the calls were traced to. According to police, six were arrested without incident and one was taken to hospital for injuries sustained before police arrived. The April 27 notice states that the injured man was released but remains a subject of the investigation.
“Two men who were considered victims in this matter were taken to hospital, treated and released. Neither of these two males were Yukon residents. They have both since returned to Vancouver,” the RCMP statement reads.
The property was searched on April 16 after a warrant was obtained. Police say the search turned up a loaded semi-automatic rifle, a disassembled handgun and three bags of what police believe is crack cocaine.
Four men, 34-year-old Abdulahi Khadar Sahal, 27-year-old Khumar Chandhar, 21-year-old Bret Darrell Demchuk and 49-year-old John Joseph Klemenz face a series of charges. The fifth man died in what police say is an unrelated incident; the Yukon Coroner’s service is investigating. According to police Chandhar and Klemenz have been released following court appearances while Demchuk and Sahal remain in custody.
The charges they face are: pointing a firearm, assault with a weapon and kidnapping using a firearm. According to the RCMP, the investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
