Blast suspect was half-naked: taxi driver

CIV - A taxi driver who took the suspected arsonist who caused a large explosion on Broadway Wednesday said the man was half-naked when he stepped into the cab, and had a faint smell of gasoline on him.

Kwok Yee Cheung (trans) was driving the Vancouver Taxi's No.107 in the early hours of Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008. He was called to pick up a man from the taxi depot on Industrial Ave. His colleague refused to take the man to his Surrey destination.

Cheung told Ming Pao that he picked up the badly burnt man at about 3:12 a.m. on Wednesday. The man wanted to go to the Newton area of Surrey. Cheung said the man was half-naked and had a jacket around his lower body. He was not wearing pants at the time.

Cheung wasn't sure if the man wore any clothing - including underwear - at all.

Cheung said the man was obviously injured, but looked OK as he was able to talk on a cell phone he borrowed from Cheung. Cheung noted a thin smell of gasoline from the man.

Cheung asked the man if he was OK, he said he was beaten up by someone.

The man was described as an Indo-Canadian man in his 40s.

Cheung took the man to Newton where he was greeted by another Indo-Canadian man who paid the $57 taxi fare.

According to the police, the man who paid the fare is not the part-owner of the Taco Del Mar outlet and is co-operating with the investigation.

The taxi company paged Cheung a while later and asked him to see a Surrey RCMP. Later, he was told to meet up with a VPD officer on Broadway. It was when he realized a serious explosion happened there.

In fact, Cheung is no stranger to the media. His taxi was T-boned by a police cruiser in 2003, causing him severe injuries. He later filed a lawsuit to claim compensation from the police. Only this time, Cheung will be 100% on the cops' side.

Det.-Const. Rodger Shepard, a Vancouver police arson investigator said the suspect used two taxi cabs to make his getaway.

Both cars were impounded by forensic investigators, along with the digital camera footage from the cabs and surveillance camera footage from shops in the surrounding area.

According to the police, the man believed to be involved in the arson is fighting for his life with 40% of his body burnt. The police did not confirm if the man checked into the Surrey Memorial Hospital, but said he sought medical help from a hospital. The hospital then notified the police.

Vancouver police fire investigators and Vancouver fire department investigators determined that the fire that caused the explosion was intentionally set, with the use of an accelerant.

An air-fuel explosion is a small blast that disperses a flammable liquid into the air, creating a cloud that is then lit by a second charge, causing a larger explosion. Such explosions are used in war zones to destroy enemy fortifications and neutralize mines, but they can also occur by accident, as in the case of TWA Flight 800 off the U.S. east coast in 1996.

The owner of the Broadway Taco Del Mar is Manjeet Nandha and her husband Harjit Nandha. When asked by a TV reporter if any of the family members were involved in this incident, Manjeet Nandha replied: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Harjit Nandha told Channel M that he wanted to know why the man caused such a big damage to their business. He thought it was good that the police got a suspect so soon.

Police have not determined a motive for the explosion, which caused at least $2 million in damage.

"When we have an arson in a business, naturally, unfortunately, one of the first suspects . . . is the business owners," said Shepard. But he said the investigation so far has not confirmed one way or the other yet.

Media reports say the couple owns two franchised Taco Del Mar - one in Vancouver and one in Delta. Both shops and the couple's own residence have been on sale for some time.

Kevin Hansen, chief operating officer of Taco Del Mar's franchising division, said there was nothing suspicious about the store's finances.

"The store performed at market average or slightly better," Hansen said from his office in Seattle.

"So, no issues with our landlord, current on our rent."

Hansen said he spoke with the franchisee about 9 a.m.

"She indicated that she was contacted about 4 a.m. by the police," said Hansen. "She was devastated to learn that her business was no longer."

The incident was an arson that went terribly wrong, said Shepard, adding police have little other information to release at this time.

"I'm not going to identify this person and I'm not going to give you specifics. The person does know he is under investigation. But that's as far as we'll go at this point," said Shepard.

The detective credited the teamwork of Vancouver fire department investigators for the break in the case and said they were confident the suspect would soon be charged with arson endangering life.

On Wednesday, police said a significant amount of accelerant was used to start the fire in the taco shop, and when an open flame was introduced, the explosion took place.

Investigators will not confirm the type of accelerant that was used, but said one gallon of gas can be equivalent to 15 sticks of dynamite when an open flame is introduced.

Witnesses said the explosion created a fireball that engulfed the taco shop and neighbouring Starbucks.

Shepard did not say what type of accelerant was used, but said: "Experts have told me that a gallon of gasoline is the equivalent of about 15 sticks of dynamite.

"It actually has more power than TNT does."