A 23-year-old man allegedly caught with a loaded handgun at a Burnaby SkyTrain station after he failed to pay his transit fare is in jail and awaiting a bail hearing.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police was conducting fare inspections on board a Millennium Line train just after 1 a.m. on March 2, when they came across a man at the Brentwood Skytrain station who was unable to produce a valid fare, according to an emailed statement from transit police media relations officer Const. Amanda Steed.
While officers were issuing him a ticket, they determined the man, identified as Mateo Zanatta, appeared to be in breach of a court imposed curfew, according to Steed.
“Zanatta was arrested, and a search revealed a loaded handgun in his belongings,” she said. “Zanatta was transported to jail and held for a bail hearing.”
Zanatta faces a number of charges, including possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm; carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a firearm contrary to an order.
At the time of his arrest, he was on bail on charges out of Sechelt, where he has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Zanatta was in Vancouver provincial court Thursday for a bail hearing, but the hearing was adjourned to April 24 after a request from his lawyer.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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