HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Surrey Man Shot During Grow-Rip 
Pubdate: Mon, 12 Jan 2004
Source: Surrey Now (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company
Contact:  http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462
Author: Ted Colley

SURREY MAN SHOT DURING GROW-RIP

A 68-year-old Surrey man was shot early Friday morning when three men
invaded his home in what police say was the latest in a series of four
attempted rip-offs of marijuana grow operations in two days.

The unidentified man was taken to hospital with non life-threatening
injuries.

The incident began when three Caucasian men broke into the house,
occupied by an elderly couple and a child, just before 7 a.m.,
yesterday. The man was shot as he struggled with the suspects.

Police are withholding the exact location of the shooting, saying only
that the residence is located "west of the Port Mann Bridge."

When officers arrived at the scene of the shooting, they found a
marijuana grow-op in the home.

Three more homes in the city were earlier invaded by a trio of
suspects, although no pot was found in any of those.

The first occurred at 4:45 a.m. Thursday when three Caucasian males
forced their way into a house in the 6600-block of 150th Street and
pepper sprayed the 48-year-old male resident. Police say the invaders,
one of whom carried a handgun, appeared to be looking for a grow-op.
None was found in the house.

They fled in a car when the home's burglar alarm went
off.

At 4:08 a.m. Friday, three men wearing hoods over their faces kicked
in the door of a house in the 11300-block of Loughren Drive. Both they
and the home's occupant were gone when police arrived, but
investigators say it appears pepper spray was used in the residence. A
neighbour saw the resident leave in a car before police arrived. The
suspects escaped in a dark blue Honda Prelude. Again, no grow-op was
found.

Less than 90 minutes later, at 5:21 a.m., three hooded men broke into
a residence in the 15100-block of 76th Avenue and pepper sprayed the
65-year-old male occupant. The suspects fled when the resident pulled
his own handgun, but did not fire.

The suspects are described as being at least 183 centimetres (six
feet) tall and weighing more than 90 kilograms (200 pounds) and
appeared to be looking for a grow-op.

Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields said grow-rips are happening virtually
daily in the Lower Mainland, although most are not reported to police.
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