Langley RCMP forced a suspect off the road after a high speed chase following the discovery of a body in a quiet Willoughby neighbourhood Monday morning.

Cole Adam Manning, a 40-year-old Cloverdale resident, was killed. Jason Terrence Brewer, a 24-year-old of Langley, was charged with second degree murder Wednesday morning.

The incident began with a report of a body in a home in the 19800 block of 69th Avenue on the Willoughby slope, just after 7:30 a.m.

Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Langley Mounties arrived with Township firefighters from the Willoughby fire hall. The police found the body in the basement, and the man was confirmed dead before 8 a.m.

Assistant Chief Rob Clausen of the Langley Township fire department said they were called out for medical aid, but were then told not to go into the building until the RCMP had cleared it.

Police identified a possible suspect in a very short time, Pound said, through what officers described as traditional police work.

At about 9:30 a.m., Langley RCMP and Abbotsford Police started to get sightings of the suspect’s vehicle.

It was found on 264th Street near the TransCanada Highway, and a short but intense high speed chase south ensued.

An RCMP cruiser forced the suspect off the road not far from the Greater Vancouver Zoo. Police from both Abbotsford and Langley worked together to quickly stop the car, based on the fear that the suspect might harm someone else, police said. One RCMP cruiser was damaged forcing the suspect off the road.

The entire chase lasted 30 to 40 seconds, Virk estimated.

The suspect, Brewer, is known to police, Pound said. Online court records show that in July 2012, he was sentenced to one day in jail and 18 months probation for robbery. The sentence included a lifetime ban on possessing firearms.

“The victim and suspect are believed to be friends, however, IHIT investigators continue to explore the motive for this homicide. At this point we can say this is not gang related, “ said Pound.

The victim was found in an otherwise empty house.

One neighbour said someone had moved into the home, possibly the basement, as recently as last weekend.

Police said the victim has not been positively identified, and they do not yet know the relationship, if any, between the suspect and victim.

While police were looking for the suspect, they got offers of help from numerous citizens.

“We had a number of calls from private aircraft,” Virk said. Pilots were offering to keep an eye out for the suspect’s car while flying around Langley on business or for recreation.

The scene of the murder, a quiet home on the corner of 198 and 69, was taped off completely. The neighbourhood is a relatively new development on the Willoughby slope, with houses sitting close together on small lots.

Kevin Leclerc lives across the street from the home and said the area is quiet, with friendly neighbours.

“It happens in every neighbourhood but the old saying goes, why in ours?” said Leclerc, who has lived there for 17 years. “It’s the way of the times, unfortunately.”

Leclerc said the home is quiet, and believes there is a family living upstairs with tenants residing in a basement suite below.

He said early in the morning, Mounties questioned a man down the street from the scene but didn’t place him in handcuffs.

Heidi Polachek, who lives nearby, was walking her dog around 9:45 a.m. when she encountered police tape.

“It’s kind of a shock,” she said. “It’s so unusual in this neighbourhood.”