A West Vancouver man convicted of a fatal kidnapping in North Vancouver has a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest after being unlawfully at large.
Tian Yi “Eddie” Zhang pleaded guilty to manslaughter, extortion and unlawful confinement in 2017 for his part in the 2015 death of 22-year-old Chinese citizen Peng Sun and the extortion of his parents Cang Sun and Hau Li.
He was granted full parole in November 2023 after a parole board viewed him a “low risk of reoffending.”
In a release Thursday, the New Westminster Police Department said Zhang is now in violation of the conditions of his parole.
New Westminster police said they are working with Correctional Service Canada to amplify awareness of the Canada-wide warrant.
Authorities describe Zhang as Chinese, standing six feet tall and weighing 158 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
2015 North Vancouver kidnapping and death
Zhang and three other men were arrested on kidnapping charges and indignity to human remains after a man was found dead near Wellington Drive on Sept. 29, 2015.
Two days prior, Zhang had used his friendship with Sun to lure him into a vacant house in North Vancouver owned by Zhang’s uncle, the North Shore News reported in 2017. When Sun arrived at the house, Zhang took him into a basement that had been covered in plastic, where the other suspects were waiting with tasers, zap straps and a pair of handcuffs.
Zhang made ransom calls to Sun’s parents in China, demanding money. Sun’s family transferred more than $350,000 into a Chinese bank account.
Shortly after, Sun died of strangulation from a zap strap around his neck.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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