Up the creek * ANC GUVER WEDNESDAY Municipal election issue Candidates’ profiles inside 76 pages 25¢ NEWS photo Neil Lucente HIGH WATER levels in Thain Creek threatened to wash out two bridges on the Praspect Road home of Umeeda Switlo during heavy rainfall this weekend. The Upper Lonsdale resident charges thai clearing on upstream lots for development has dramatically increased the runoff into the creek system. Switlo, an environmental toxicologist. says the district should have “construction windows’ which would restrict clearing for construction to dry seasons. See story page 2. Firearms confiscated Rifle allegedly pointed at school bus driver TWO MEN have been charged with a number of weapons-related offences following an incident Friday morning. A_ school bus driver (transporting approx- imately 60 children allegedly had a rifle pointed at him while he was travelling along the Upper Levels Highway in West Van- couver. By Michaet Becker News Reporter West Vancouver Police subse- quently seized from a car a semi- automatic rifle and a large quanti- ty of ammunition, The encounter took place in West Vancouver in the 6300-biock of the highway at approximately TS monaee A AS SNS SRO ESSE BISA: SER a ER ORE ere ep 7:53 am. The school bus was travelling east when the bus driver noticed a brown Ford travelling beside the bus. According 10 a West Vancouver Police spokesman, the driver looked dawn at the car and alleg- ed that he saw the passenger cf the car pointing a rifle at the bus. As the two vehicles continued along, the passenger allegedly tapped the car window with the barrel of the rifle and pointed it at the bus driver. In addition, the driver of the Ford allegedly ‘tgave the finger" to the bus driver. The bus driver told his passen- gers to duck for cover and the school bus followed the suspect vehicle to 15th Street. The driver recorded the vehicle's licence plate number, and the police were alerted. The police subsequently located the suspects parked in’ the 1600- block of Esquimalt: Avenue and arrested Uhem: just after 8:30 a.m, A search of the car turned up a cache of bullets, bullet clips. a semi-automatic rifle and a nuniber of spent cartidges. Among the confiscated items were a Colt’ Sporter .223 semi- automatic rifle; two clips ‘block- ed” to hold five bullets cach; one 30-shot clip (not) blocked); two full cartons containing 20 .223- calibre bullets each; 338 Winchester super mag shells: one carton of 205.56 mm cartridges; one carton of 20 5.56 cartridges; a number of empty or almost empty bullet boxes; three empty 5.56 mm clips: a carton of 50 Rim Fire .22 calibre bullets: 10 boxes each con- taining 50 Winchester Wildcat .22 bullets, Investigating officers found a spent shell resting on the exterior ledge of the pussenger side win- dow of the Ford. The police also seized a .22 calibre rifle following a subse- quent search of the suspect: vehicle driver’s North Vancouver home. Viadimir Ceamek, 22, of North Vancouver has been charged with possession of a weapon for a pur- pose dangerous to the public peace; impaired driving: lending or giving a firearm to a person who does not have @ firearms ac- quisition certificate. Daniel Allen Merrifield, 24, of no fixed address, has been charg- ed with possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public peace; pointing a firearm: and possession of a firearm without a certificate. In May, Czamek shot himself in the chest with a .22 rifle after holding North Vancouver RCMP at bay for three hours, Semi-automatic rifles such as the Colt rifle seized Friday can fire a round of bullets each Gime the trigger is pulled. The owner of such a weapon requires a firearms acqyuisition certificate. The rifle was registered in Czamek’s name. Police have recommended to Crown counsel that the suspect's firearms acquisition permit be revoked. A permit is good for five years and may cover the purchase of a number of weapons. eh Ay