Crime Briefs: Charges laid in taxicab killing of Taran Pandher | Man convicted of stabbing VPD officer

Eleven months after 24-year-old Taran Pandher was shot and killed in a Langley taxi , two men have been charged in connection with his murder.

Jared Douglas Polischuk, 35, and Luis Manuel Baez, 29, were arrested on Friday and each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

“While the laying of these charges is a significant development, our work is not over,” the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team’s Sgt. Freda Fong said.

“Investigators believe other individuals were involved in this shooting, and we are committed to holding all who were involved accountable. Much work remains as we continue to pursue those responsible while supporting the prosecution process.”

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Pandher was found by Langley RCMP on Sept. 5, 2025 after reports of a shooting near 200th Street and 53rd Avenue in Langley. He died at the scene. No one else was injured.

A vehicle fire was reported 30 minutes later in the 13250 block of 64A Avenue in Surrey, and investigators believed the fire was connected to the shooting. They also believe Pandher’s killing was a targeted shooting linked to B.C. gang wars.

A slash-and-dash assault on a Vancouver Police Department officer has ended with a conviction for aggravated assault.

On Wednesday, Solaris Onatta Running Dey, 30, was convicted of aggravated assault of a police officer and assaulting a peace officer with a weapon for the attack in the Downtown Eastside on March 4.

The VPD officer and his partner were on foot patrol near Main when Hastings Dey approached the officers from behind and slashed one of them on the back of the leg with a knife before running away. He was arrested just a block away.

“This conviction recognizes the dangers police officers face every day while working to keep Vancouver safe and hold offenders accountable,” says Const. Megan Lui. “Most importantly, it brings justice for the officer who was injured in this assault.”