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Spike belt deployed after truck driver fails to stop for RCMP in the Shuswap

Police say driver was taken into custody and is facing several charges
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Salmon Arm RCMP say the driver of a commercial vehicle was arrested on Feb. 10 after multiple attempts were made by police to pull the vehicle over as it was travelling through the Shuswap. (File photo)

The driver of a commercial truck was eventually arrested after multiple attempts were made by police to stop their vehicle as it travelled through the Shuswap.

A member of the BC Highway Patrol first attempted to pull over the tractor-trailer unit on Highway 1 near Sorrento around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10. According to police, the truck initially stopped but as the officer approached, it resumed travelling eastbound on the highway.

Having received a description of the truck, a Salmon Arm RCMP officer spotted the vehicle on Highway 1 near Carlin Elementary Middle School. Another attempt was made to pull it over but the truck driver refused to stop.

“Although no pursuit of the truck was initiated, police received reports from the public concerning the driving behaviour as it allegedly passed through red lights, passed on double solid yellow lines and continued driving at speeds in excess of 100 kms/hour,” said Salmon Arm RCMP Sgt. Scott Lachapelle in a Feb. 11 media release.

Lachapelle said RCMP officers patrolling the highway were able to periodically keep track of the truck’s location as a unit from the RCMP Air Services Division was brought in to help.

The truck continued through Salmon Arm and Sicamous, and was eventually stopped in Malakwa.

“Police were able deploy tire deflation devices at various locations along the highway in an attempt to get the truck stopped safely,” explained Lachapelle. “RCMP members from the various detachments, along with members from the South East District Emergency Response Team, the BC Highway patrol and the RCMP Air Services Division, were successful in getting the truck stopped on Hwy. 1 near the Malakwa four lanes.”

Lachapelle said the driver was taken into custody without further incident and is facing several charges.

“Thankfully, there were no injuries to the public or the officers involved,” added Lachapelle.

Read more: Wanted Salmon Arm man missing with two daughters arrested in Ontario

Read more: $9k seized at traffic stop during joint operation in the South Okanagan



lachlan@saobserver.net
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