RCMP Pulled Away From Fire to Nab Fleeing Car Thief

RCMP resources assigned to the local Okanagan wildfires were forced to deploy a spike belt in order to disable a stolen vehicle, which reportedly evaded their policing partners multiple times in the South Okanagan.

On July 21, 2018 at approx. 2 pm, RCMP officers deployed to provide support to emergency operations, in relation to the Mt. Eneas wildfire, spotted a stolen blue Mitsubishi Lancer travelling northbound along Highway 97 entering Peachland. Officers in the Central Okanagan were alerted by dispatch operators that the target vehicle had been reported as stolen to RCMP in Oliver, just 45 minutes prior.

“Since the auto theft, the Mitsubishi Lancer had been the subject of multiple erratic and dangerous driving complaints in the South Okanagan,” states RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesman for the Kelowna Regional RCMP. “The suspect actively evaded and failed to stop for RCMP in Penticton before continuing north on Highway 97 towards Kelowna.”

The stolen vehicle avoided a RCMP road block checkpoint, before officers were able to successfully deploy a tire deflation device on Highway 97 near Buchanan Road in Peachland. The suspect once again failed to stop for police and continued on. He eventually rammed into both a fully marked and unmarked police vehicle, before being forced off the roadway and taken into police custody without further incident.