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Suspect in Luka Gordic killing denied bail

Police Briefs: Four injured in Highway crash; Domestic assault in the village
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bumper to bummer Another accident on Highway 99 snarled traffic in Lions Bay on Tuesday, July 12. photo by cathryn atkinson

A teenaged suspect charged in the 2015 death of 19-year-old Luka Gordic in Whistler has been denied bail.

Arvin Golic, one of four accused in the May long weekend stabbing, was re-arrested last week after breaching one of his release conditions. On July 11, a provincial Supreme Court judge turned down his application for release. He will remain in custody until his trial begins. The specific condition cannot be publicized due to a publication ban.

Golic was released last June on $20,000 bail and put under house arrest as part of his conditions.

Gordic was swarmed outside the Main Street 7-Eleven on May 17, 2015 after he became separated from a group of friends. His family called for tougher laws on violence and for Whistler officials to take steps to address the notoriously unruly long weekend in the wake of the teenager's death.

The original charge of manslaughter levied against Golic was upgraded to second-degree murder in October.

Four injured in collision that closed Hwy. 99 this weekend

Four people were taken to hospital — one with life-threatening injuries — on Saturday, July 9 after an accident in Lions Bay that snarled weekend traffic on Highway 99.

The head-on collision occurred just before 10:30 a.m. near Kelvin Grove Way. One passenger was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital with life-threatening head and spinal injuries, police said, and remains in critical condition. Three others were taken to Lions Gate Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The highway was closed in both directions for around three hours while a BC Ambulance helicopter attended the scene, causing major delays.

The RCMP's Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service was called in to look into the cause of the crash. The accident remains under investigation.

Two other accidents occurred in nearly the exact same stretch of road in Lions Bay on Tuesday, July 12.

A petition calling for additional concrete barriers to be installed along sections of highway in Lions Bay has seen renewed interest following the weekend's crash, with over 3,000 signatures so far. Whistler's Marie-Pier Champagne was killed along the same section in November when a vehicle she was in flipped over the median and collided head-on with another car. Another Whistlerite, Olivia Rey, was seriously injured in the accident as well. The petition can be viewed at www.change.org/p/concrete-barrier-along-lions-bay-section-of-highway-99.

While there are concrete barriers along certain stretches of road in the community, Lions Bay Mayor Karl Buhr told Pique last year of the apparent challenge around installing additional medians.

"In terms of barriers themselves, (the Ministry of Transportation) advises us that in many cases the highway is just not correctly sized for that," he said in a November interview. "As much as they'd like to place barriers in different places, the design criteria used for highways doesn't provide adequate shoulder space."

Buhr has pushed Victoria to erect variable speed signs in Lions Bay similar to the ones that were recently installed between Squamish and Function Junction in Whistler. Part of a provincial pilot project, the 16 digital signs use sensors to adjust posted speed limits in real time to reflect current weather conditions. The signs went live last month.

Woman treated for injuries following domestic assault

A woman was treated for minor injuries after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband in Whistler this week.

Police attended the 4300 block of Main Street on July 11 after a report of a domestic assault. The suspect, a Squamish resident, was arrested the following morning after he turned himself into police. He was later released on conditions with a future court date.

Whistlerite arrested for drunk driving after reversing into tree

A 22-year-old Whistler resident is facing drunk driving charges after reversing into a tree in front of a local police officer.

An RCMP member was in the area of Northlands Boulevard before 3 a.m. on July 7 when he heard "a group of people shouting," police said. The officer then witnessed a vehicle back into a tree before driving off.

Mounties caught up with the vehicle and noticed the driver exhibiting signs of impairment. The resident was issued a 90-day roadside prohibition and his vehicle was impounded.

RCMP investigating Craigslist fraud

Police are warning the community of suspicious rental ads after a report of an online Craigslist scam.

On July 8, a caller told Whistler RCMP that they had made a reservation to stay at an accommodation in the 4300 block of Main Street and e-transferred funds for the rental. Upon arriving in the resort, they discovered the rental address did not exist.

The public is advised to contact police at 604-932-3044 if they come across any similar ads.

look out for missing kayaks

A Whistler resident turned to police last week to help recover four kayaks that reportedly went missing sometime over the last few months.

The complainant told RCMP that two single, mango-yellow-coloured Tuktu Kelysk kayaks, and two double Necki Mantiou kayaks, orange in colour, were taken from the Alta Lake area.

Anyone with information is asked to call Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044 or BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Golf clubs reported stolen from car

Police are investigating a theft from a vehicle that reportedly occurred sometime last week.

The vehicle, which was parked in an underground lot on Whistler Way, was apparently accessed via a smashed passenger-side window sometime between 1:30 p.m. on July 4 and 1:30 a.m. on July 5, police said. Reportedly stolen was a set of Taylor golf clubs.

Window of Village Square business smashed

A business in the 4200 block of Village Square was damaged last week after someone used a planter to smash the store's window, police said.

Whistler RCMP responded to a report of mischief just before 10 a.m. on July 4 and discovered a planter that had been damaged outside the retail location. Police said a piece of the planter was then used to break the window, however, no entry was gained.