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Three men have been arrested and charged following a kidnapping incident in Merritt this weekend.
On Friday, Nov. 18, officers for the Merritt RCMP heard a gunshot in the 1300 block of Priest Avenue.
When officers arrived at the area, a dark coloured sedan was seen speeding away from the area.
The sedan was later located near a residence in the 1700 block of Nicola Avenue.
Mounties say the suspects tried to flee the scene, however police were able to track them down.
Fortunately, a victim was found and was uninjured.
All three male suspects were arrested on the scene.
Braeden Shane Drake, Mark Ethan Giesbrecht, and William Joseph Lavoie have each been charged by indictment for hostage taking with a firearm and entering a dwelling house without lawful excuse to commit an indictable offence.
All three are currently being held in custody.
“There has been a brazen disregard for public safety recently in our community, and having these individuals off our streets will hopefully restore a sense of security back to the community,” said Sgt. Josh Roda of the Merritt RCMP.
An investigation continues into the incident and police have not determined if the shootings reported on Friday are related to the shootings reported on Nov. 15.
Anyone with information about these incidents can call the Merritt RCMP at (250) 378-4262.