A police service dog sniffed out a suspect who fled in a stolen vehicle Wednesday afternoon.
A stolen vehicle was reported travelling west on Highway 6 toward Vernon from Nakusp Wednesday, Dec. 8. An RCMP Air Services helicopter assisted officers in locating the Ford F-150 and police attempted a traffic stop west of Lumby.
Instead of stopping, the truck fled at a high speed west along Highway 6 toward Vernon. Officers successfully deployed a spike belt, puncturing the truck’s four tires. The suspect continued to evade police and eventually turned onto Middleton Way, where he abandoned the truck and fled by foot into a residential neighbourhood.
“Frontline officers immediately established a perimeter to contain the suspect and requested the assistance of the RCMP police dog services to track the man,” Vernon North Okanagan RCMP media relations officer Const. Chris Terleski said. “Police service dog Jak deployed and quickly sniffed out the hiding suspect who was taken into custody safely and without further incident.”
The suspect, a 26-year-old man from Maple Ridge, remains in police custody facing a number of potential criminal charges including possession of property obtained by crime, flight from police and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
The incident remains under investigation.
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