A man listed as the number 2 most-wanted car thief in B.C. was arrested Monday (April 4) in Abbotsford and allegedly had a loaded handgun in his vehicle.
Const. Paul Walker, media officer with the Abbotsford Police Department, said patrol officers conducted “targeted enforcement” on Bradley Dieter Bender, 26, at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Bender was wanted on several outstanding warrants in Abbotsford and Surrey.
Walker said officers spotted Bender driving, although a court order prohibits him from doing so. The officers blocked in his vehicle after he parked and arrested him as he got out of the car.
A loaded handgun was allegedly found in the vehicle within Bender’s reach, as was an alleged “large quantity” of drugs that Walker said was “consistent with trafficking a controlled substance.”
Bender has now been charged with driving while disqualified, breaching his probation, and driving while prohibited. He faces other possible charges, including those related to firearms possession and impaired driving.
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Bender remains in custody pending his next court appearance, set for April 12.
At the time of his arrest, Bender was on the list of the top 10 “wanted auto crime offenders” on Impact BC’s website baitcar.com.
The listing states that Bender is a “multi-jurisdictional car thief known to commit violent and property crime offences.”
According to the provincial court database, he still has charges before the courts from August 2021 in Surrey: theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified, driving while prohibited and breaching his probation.
Bender has prior convictions for offences such as fleeing from police, theft, possession of stolen property, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
Walker said police consider Bender a prolific offender.
“Mr. Bender has demonstrated time and time again that he has no regard for the criminal justice system, yet he continues to be released back into the community,” he said.
“Mr. Bender continues to victimize citizens within our communities, putting others at risk every time he gets into the driver’s seat of a vehicle.”
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vhopes@abbynews.com
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