Driving only on the rims, a suspect evaded police during a Tuesday afternoon pursuit east of the city's core.
It started with a routine speeding violation spotted by a patrolling Mountie on Highway 16 not far from the jail. The member detected a grey Dodge Dakota pickup travelling faster than the posted speed limit and attempted to pull the truck over.
The truck did not race off at higher speeds but continued on as if the following police - fully marked as an RCMP vehicle with emergency lights activated - were not there.
In fact, the driver slowed down and turned off onto Graves Road and then onto Blackburn Road. All the while, other police were
converging on the area to help.
The suspect driver then began to speed up and drive erratically, said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. The officer pulled over and disengaged the emergency equipment in order to maximize public safety.
A few minutes later, another officer located the same vehicle northbound on Old Cariboo Highway approaching Highway 16. The suspect turned west bound on Highway 16, heading into Prince George. The officer activated the emergency equipment on the fully-marked police vehicle and attempted to pull the vehicle over. Once again the vehicle did not stop.
A spike belt was laid across the road near the intersection of Pickering Road to intentionally blow out the tires of the suspect vehicle before it could get into the more populated city core.
Three of the vehicle's tires were destroyed by the spike belt,
Douglass said.
Even though the vehicle was now driving on three metal rims, the driver continued into Prince George at a much reduced rate of speed.
The vehicle went west down First Avenue to Carney Street and then began to travel south down Carney Street with police vehicles in tow. Police officers discontinued the pursuit as the suspect vehicle was approaching the intersection of 15th Avenue, to maximize public safety.
Minutes later, the suspect vehicle was located abandoned on Willow Street between 20th
Avenue and Bowser Street. The RCMP's Police Dog Service attended the area in an attempt to track the suspect driver, believed to be the only person in the vehicle.
The suspect was not located and no description has been obtained.
The rear license plate did not match the vehicle and was registered in Fraser Lake, but the vehicle itself was last registered in the Lower Mainland and has not been reported stolen.
The Prince George RCMP's Forensic Identification Service attended the scene and gathered evidence. Anyone who can possibly help this investigation is asked to call police at 250-561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS /
www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
