A 33-year-old man may face charges after a bizarre series of events near 100 Mile House on Sunday (Jan. 31).
RCMP Staff Sgt. Svend Nielsen said emergency crews were called to a report of a wrong-way collision just before 11 p.m. on Highway 97 near Lovett Road in Lac La Hache.
When police arrived, they determined a Pontiac Sunfire was driving in the wrong lane, and collided with a tractor trailer.
According to Nielsen, the Sunfire had extensive damage and all airbags had been deployed, but no one was inside.
Highway 97 was closed as police started an investigation and crews began searching for an ejected person. However, no one was found in the area.
“Soon after, a phone call was received from a nearby residence where a 33-year-old man with blood on his face had startled the homeowner, stating he had been in a collision after being shot at while driving,” Nielsen said in a news release.
According to Nielsen, the man fled from that address as the homeowner called police.
A police service dog team was called out from Williams Lake to continue the search for the injured man. When the dog unit arrived on scene, Nielsen said the man “made himself available” to police.
The man had minor injuries to his forehead, and was intoxicated. According to police, no evidence or witnesses supported his claim that he had been shot at while driving his vehicle.
The highway re-opened an hour and a half after the incident, and a police investigation is ongoing.
