An incident involving a stolen vehicle occurred on the afternoon of Thursday Feb. 11 in Hope. The vehicle was coming from Merritt, and the Merritt RCMP contacted the Hope RCMP to advise them of a stolen vehicle headed southbound on the Coquihalla.
“We attempted to to set up the spike belts on the Coquihalla to affect a stop and arrest, unfortunately members were unable to get into position in time and the vehicle passed them by,” said Staff Sergeant Karol Rehdner.
The vehicle made its way to Othello Road, where once again police tried to spike it.
They did not meet with success in their second attempt and the vehicle unable to escape drove through a field to avoid arrest.
“The members did not pursue at this time because the vehicle was headed into town, and it was an appropriate action to take because of the risk to the general public,” said Rehdner.
Police were undeterred and set up again to spike the vehicle in a third attempt that was successful. The spike belt was set up in the Kawkawa Lake and Lakeview Crescent area.
“The way spike belts are designed the vehicle did not stop immediately. The method was successfully deployed based on the condition of the vehicle,” Rehdner told The Hope Standard.
The elusive vehicle was later found abandoned with the two suspects on foot. It is believed by police that the suspects are a male and a female.
An attempt was made by police dogs to track the individuals, but it proved to be of no avail.
The vehicle was seized by police at that time.
“We are currently doing a follow-up investigation on the vehicle in regards to forensics and hopefully to determine some suspects from the vehicle,” said Rehdner. “At this point we have no one in custody.”
There have been no identifiable suspects at this time. The investigation is ongoing and the vehicle has been safely returned to the owner in Merritt.
“There was no damage caused to any person or vehicle, so it justified the actions taken of the members in not pursuing.”