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Kelowna RCMP use spike belt to apprehend alleged car thieves

Both suspects were expected in court Thursday morning
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RCMP were called to reports of a hit-and-run in Peachland Saturday but instead found a man injured during a confrontation. -Image: Contributed

A spike belt deployed by Kelowna RCMP officers helped stop a stolen vehicle, the driver and passenger ran in an attempt to evade police.

On Jan. 17 just before 1 a.m., plain clothes Kelowna RCMP officers on patrol spotted a newer white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, being driven slowly and seen circling the area of Richter Street and Cadder Avenue. Investigators were able to determine that the pickup truck had been reported earlier as stolen to police, the theft discovered early Wednesday morning from in front of a home on Coronation Avenue.

Awaiting further back up, the officers monitored the occupied stolen vehicle as it moved into the area of East Kelowna.

“Our uniformed officers were able to set up in a strategic location to safely disable the stolen vehicle with a tire deflation device,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “With all four tires on the vehicle punctured, the vehicle came to a stop in the 3800 block of East Kelowna Road.”

RELATED: Kelowna RCMP ask for assistance to identify suspects

In an apparent attempt to avoid capture, the driver and a passenger of the stolen vehicle each fled on foot in opposite directions. Several officers descended on the area and were successful in taking each suspect into police custody without further incident.

A 19-year-old Kelowna man, known to police, faces a number of potential criminal charges. He was held in police custody and was expected to appear in Kelowna Court Thursday morning.

A 31-year-old Kelowna man, also faces a number of potential charges. He too was held in police custody and appeared in Kelowna Court Thursday morning.

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