A wake of wreckage assisted Mounties in tracking down a suspected auto thief that chewed a path around the Prince George bowl on Tuesday.
Four police members and an innocent passerby almost became victims of the reckless driver.
The vehicle, a green 2001 Dodge pickup, was reported stolen at about 7:30 a.m. from a home in the 2600 block of Hollandia Drive.
Police spotted the vehicle about two hours later, and began to follow it, waiting for an opportunity to safely move in on the lone male occupant.
"At the gas station at Highway 16 and Boeing Road he realized he was being followed, and when officers attempted to prevent him from leaving the lot, he rammed them," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "The driver rammed three unmarked police vehicles and narrowly missed striking a police officer on foot."
The truck was driven erratically as it left the scene, indicating a danger to the motoring public. Police chose, for this reason, to follow but refrain from speeding themselves. This is police policy, said Douglass, in order to potentially ease the suspect's aggressive behaviour before someone else gets hurt. In many cases it works, but Douglass said in this case, the phone lines lit up as witnesses told them where the reckless driver was headed.
"We received follow-up calls from the public advising that the suspect almost struck a pedestrian near Prince George secondary school and that the suspect did hit a concrete meridian on Massey Drive," he explained.
Somewhere along the way, however, police lost a precise location of the suspect, so a wide perimeter was established.
"He was on the lam. We had to do a thorough search of the area he was in," said Douglass. "Investigators were able to come up with a plan for that, and with continuous patrols in the areas of question, we located the vehicle. It was empty by then, but he was located shortly after that. He was on foot."
Near the intersection of 17th Avenue and Juniper Street, Mounties converged. The suspect was taken into custody with no further incident. The 26-year-old male was in possession of a weapon, a sawed-off aluminum baseball bat, and other items of interest for investigators.
"We believe this male is responsible for the earlier offenses," Douglass said. "The list of charges we anticipate to be just incredible."
The suspect was expected to be held in custody overnight for a court appearance today.
Thankfully, no one involved in this lengthy incident was injured. However, a larger public safety issue is rising, said Douglass.
"Over the past weekend, four pursuits were initiated by persons driving stolen vehicles in Prince George. The Prince George RCMP are concerned about this recent trend and the threat it poses to the public. Car thefts often have no regard for public safety."
RCMP reminded the public to take extra precautions in securing vehicles with anti-theft devices and, while driving, visually clear all intersections before entering them, even if the light is green.
