Thirty-year-old Jonathan Leblanc was due in court Tuesday after police claim he went on a violent, one-man crime spree across three Lower Mainland municipalities, including Richmond. Leblanc, of Delta, is facing charges of robbery and assault with a weapon in relation to one of the incidents during an alleged fivehour rampage Sunday night.
The mayhem included a terrifying home invasion in Richmond, which spurred local Mounties to urge people to be careful opening their doors to strangers.
The invasion - in the 4200-block of Deerfield Crescent, just northwest of
Highway 91 and No. 5 Road - is reportedly linked to the string of serious crimes on the same night across the Lower Mainland.
The homeowner, thought to be in his 60s, was stabbed several times during the invasion, before his car was stolen by his assailant.
Richmond RCMP said Monday afternoon the resident was in "serious, but stable" condition in hospital.
"While this appears to be a rare and isolated incident, people are reminded to exercise caution when opening their doors to strangers," said Richmond RCMP spokesperson Const. Veronica Fox.
Police are trying to confirm the link between the invasion and an earlier hit-and-run car crash, nearby on the Highway 99 on-ramp from Highway 91.
Around 6:45 p.m., a black Ford Geo rear-ended an SUV on the ramp and sent the SUV, with a family of three inside, careening more than 100 metres down the highway before it landed on its roof.
Two of the three passengers were taken to hospital with nonlife- threatening injuries and were later released.
Meanwhile, the Geo ended up in a ditch and, although police can't yet confirm the link, its driver is suspected to have run to the Deerfield Crescent home and carried out the invasion and stabbing before stealing a grey Honda Accord.
The suspect then drove to Vancouver, where he was involved in a head-on collision near 27th Avenue and Victoria Drive just after 7 p.m., according to Vancouver Police.
From that scene, he ran to Victoria and Kingsway, where he allegedly tried to rob a man at an ATM machine.
Afterwards, the suspect is thought to have crossed the street to an Esso gas station, where he allegedly tried to steal another vehicle with two children, age seven and 10, in the back seat.
The driver of the vehicle managed to get the two kids and his wife out of the car before it was stolen. He sustained minor injuries in the process.
At that point, the suspect was believed to have been armed with a knife or a screwdriver.
He was finally tracked down and arrested just before midnight in Surrey, reportedly at 108th Avenue and University Drive in Whalley.
Const. Fox said Richmond's Serious Crime Unit was working with Vancouver Police investigators to ascertain the links between the incidents.
