性视界传媒 Creep Catchers鈥� president Ryan LaForge has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of uttering threats related to 鈥渟tings鈥� his group did in Whalley in April.
LaForge said he performed a 鈥渃itizens arrest鈥� on April 3 during a 鈥渟ting鈥� on a man he alleged came to pay for sex with a six-year-old outside the Tim Horton鈥檚 at Central City Shopping Centre, in the 10100-block of King George Boulevard.
Police arrested LaForge for assault related to the citizens arrest and released him with a promise to appear in court on June 7.
Burnaby resident Kuljinder Singh Bhatti, 35, is accused of trying to lure a minor for a sexual purpose and making an arrangement with a person for a sexual offence involving a person under age 18.
Creep Catchers representatives pose as children online, arrange to meet adults who think they鈥檝e been communicating with a child, confront them, film them and then post the videos on Facebook. The group set up in 性视界传媒 last summer.
On Thursday afternoon the 性视界传媒 RCMP issued a press release concerning the charges against LaForge, 34, and said a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Corporal Scotty Schumann said in the early evening of April 19 police responded to a call in the 10100-block of King George Boulevard.
鈥淎 confrontation occurred between one man alleged to be involved in child luring and three men believed to be involved in the vigilante group,鈥� Schumann said. 鈥溞允咏绱� RCMP attended and arrested two men at the scene 鈥� one suspect alleged to be involved in child luring, and Lance Loy, 37-years-old of 性视界传媒, from the vigilante group. The two other men, one being LaForge, fled the scene prior to police arrival. As a result of this incident, both LaForge and Loy are now charged with one count of assault.鈥�
Loy was expected to appear in 性视界传媒 provincial court Thursday. 鈥淎 third suspect is being investigated for his part in these incidents,鈥� Schumann said.
鈥淧olice want to remind the public that vigilantism, no matter how well meaning, poses significant risks to the safety of all those involved,鈥� Schumann said. 鈥淯sing our highly trained investigators in a controlled environment is the best way to get dangerous offenders off our streets and ensure they are held accountable.鈥�
He said police advise the public to go to www. cybertip.ca to report incidents of online sexual exploitation of children. Schumann noted that investigations into the allegations of child luring in the aforementioned cases is ongoing.
LaForge could not be immediately reached for comment.
性视界传媒 Creep Catchers made national headlines last September after a woman working with the group posed as a 15-year-old girl and allegedly communicated with an off-duty 性视界传媒 Mountie online after posting an ad on Craigslist.
A meeting was set up outside the Boston Pizza at 性视界传媒 Central Shopping Mall in Whalley and LaForge and his crew live-streamed the sting on the Internet. Constable Dario Devic was arrested on Sept. 9 and his next appearance in 性视界传媒 provincial court is set for Aug. 3, 2017. He has been suspended from police duty.
