knifes NV man A man living in the 100-block of Takaya Place in the Seymour area was stabbed in the arm on April 19. According to the North Vancouver RCMP, the 39-year-old man was stabbed by one of two men at his front door. The victim thought he had blocked a punch to his stomach. After closin the door, he realized he had been stabbed. The victim went to Lions Gate Hospital where he received “numerous” stitches. Police say the vict didn’: know his attack- ers who spent “several minutes” asking the homeowner about who lived in the house before the stabbing. The suspect who stabbed the man is described as being an 18-year-old Caucasian with short blond hair and beard stubble. The other suspect was described as being a dark-skinned 18-year- old with dreadlocks. Anyone with infor- mation about the inci- dent is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 985-1311 or Crime Stoppers at 669-8477. Grind remains closed THE Grouse Grind remains éloséd this week “because of avalanche risk. The seowpack is being monitored weekly. According to the North Vancouver RCMP and the Greater Vancouver Regional District, snow conditions con- tinue to be too dan- gerous for the recov- ery of avalanche vic- tim Rory Manning. The 24-year-old Ontario resident died on Jan. 27 while hik- ing up the popular trail, Trails near the Grind are also closed. For updates about trail closures, call the North Vancouver RCMP emergency informaticn line at 990-7488. Friday, April 23, 1999 — North Shore News - 3 NEWS phcto Mike Wakefield MIRKO Sretenovic says he was ejected from a SC Transit bus at Lonsdale Quay on March 29 for holding this paper Serbian flag. The North Vancouver man, who was born in Yugoslavia, wants an apology from the driver and Coast Mountain BusLink, the former BC Transit. serbian flag flap h Bob Mackin News Reporter A North Vancouver man says he was ejected from a BC Transit bus on March 29 because he was holding a paper Serbian flag. Mirko Sretenovic, a 64-year-old native of Kragjuvac, Yugoslavia, went to board the Capilano College bus at the Lonsdale Quay loop at 8:30 p.m. on the Monday night. He had disembarked from the SeaBus after attending, a protest in Vancouver against the NATO air attacks on his homeland. Sretenovic, through his son Mike, said he was confronted by a bus driver as he approached the bus at berth six. Sretenovic was holding the paper flag, at chest fevel and minding his own busine According to Sretenovic, the bus dris terrorist is not getting on my bus.” Sretenovic did not understand, so he sat down in the bus. Phe dri- ver approached him and asked him to leave. aid ‘I paid, this is for the public, T pay 8°." Mirko Sretenovie told the News. North Van man claims he was turfed from bus for carrying country’s flag The driver threatened not to move the bus until cnovi and the Hag — left, aid. Mike Sretenovic, who night, said another bus dri offered Sretenovie a ride on his bus, “He was not harassing anybody; he's not a threat to anybody on the bus. ‘There should be no reason for it,” Mike Sretenovie said. The Sretenovies are demanding a written apology tram Coast Mountain Bushink (the former BC Transit) and the driver, who he said is named Vinee. They will get a partial apology, according to BusLink spokesman Paul Clarke. Clarke admitted the driver made some inappro- Priate comments to Sretenovic, but denied shat he used the word terrorist. “We certainly regret, and apologize for those its Transi Clarke said the bus driver, who he wouldn't a bus on the same route thr youths were arguing with othe: feared the confrontation would escalate. When the driver saw Sretenovie approaching, Clarke said he asked the man to put the flag away. But Sretenovie refused. “Mr tenovic was obviously quite agitated, swearing personal insults and spitting at and on the operator's feet,” Clarke said. The incident was nor captured on videotape because there are no surveillance cameras at Lower Mainland bus loops, Clarke said. The elder Sretenovic, a meatcutter by trade, came to Canada 27 years ago. He said he went to th protest in Vancouver that night because NATO forces are “bombing innocent women and children and men, en both sides.” His former homecrown, 120 kilometres south of Belgrade, is the site of a Yugo car factory that was bombed by NATO during its campaign to defend Kosovo. The confrontation with the bus driver made him shake with anxiety for wo days, he said. face fraud char Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.com NINE Lower Mainland small businesses are out approximate- ly $20,000 worth of merchan- dise after being victimized in a closed-account fraud scam orig- inating from North Vancouver. North Vancouver RCMP Const. Norm Rooney said more victims are being “actively” investigated in the scam which started las: November. Police in the cconomic crime unit believe that the scammers contact busi- es by phone. Several calls are made. suspects ask about models and prices of products such as laser printers, laptop computers, fax machines and vacuum cleaners. The suspects ask for the items to be td to their home or business, which is the same address. The suspects pay for the ite cheques drawn on a closed account. comments,” Clarke said. BLASDELL HOROBEC Police sav three closed accounts have been used in the scam: a Canada Trust account in West Vancouver, which was closed in June 1998; a Gulf and Fraser Credit Union account in Vancouver, which was also closed in June 1998; and a Khalsa Credit Union account, which was closed in August 1998 in Vancouver. The North Vancouver RCMP say two North Vancouver men have been charged in connection with the alleged frauds, Brian Keith Blasdell, 25, has been es charged with seven counts of obtaining items by false pretences including: ® a printer and fax machine ¢ $1,500 from Active Brownlee Busin Machines in Vancouver; @ a vacuum and shampooer costing $2,400 from) Electrolux in) North Vancouver; @ 4 $2,100 vacuum and shampooer trom Electrolux in Burnaby; B a $2,300 vacuum from Platinum Systems in Surrey; a $2,500 vacuum and shampooer trom Electrolux in Vancouver; @ a $2,600 fax machine from Columbia Office Equipment in Surre Also charged is Lawrence William Horobce, 46, who faces three counts of obtaining items by false pretences includ- ing: @ a camera, zoom fens, filter and film costing $700 from Kerrisdale Cameras in North Vancouver; @ a $3,900 laser printer from Panasonic Office Systems in Burnaby; Gi a $2,900 Toshiba notebook computer from Adtech in Burnaby. Miracle Narrows water fast From page t Kirke said that the First Narraws dive had only been done once before *... by per- haps one the greatest divers in Canada. Dr. Nuytten said we should not have too much trouble.” c¢ ebb tide was to have taken the divers away from the harbour and out to West Vancouver. But said Osuch afterwards, “It was very hard. We had to work against the current.” Added Kirke, “I had to crawl on rocks for a while — things got very powerful. ” The video shot by the divers will be shared with the Vancouver Aquarium Researchers there are investi- gating the habitat of ting cod and other species in marine protected areas in Howe Sound and at Point Atkinson in West Vancouver,