One man is in custody and facing charges after initially fleeing from police in a stolen vehicle Wednesday.
The incident occurred at about 3:15 a.m. when a member of the Prince George RCMP’s General Duty Section attempted a traffic stop with a white Ford F350 on Quince Street. This model of vehicle is most commonly stolen in Prince George.
The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and fled the area. In the interest of public safety, officers did not pursue.
Just before 4 a.m., the same vehicle was located being driven along Ospika Boulevard near Forest Avenue. The driver was demonstrating erratic driving behaviour and was putting police and the public in danger, say police. The suspect drove at a high rate of speed, while in the wrong lane facing oncoming traffic and swerved directly towards fully marked police vehicles, all in attempts to elude police.
The vehicle was seen several more times throughout the core of the city before being located one final time. At approximately 4:40 a.m., the truck was located unoccupied in an alley between Victoria Street and Quince Street. A 31-year-old man from Edmonton was located less than a block from the vehicle and arrested. The Ford F350 was confirmed by investigators to have been stolen at some point during the night.
The suspect remains in custody pending a court appearance. The investigation is continuing.
If you have any information about this Criminal offence or stolen vehicles in the Prince George area, please contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-8477, online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only), or Text-A-Tip to CRIMES (274637) using keyword “pgtips”. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest or the recovery of stolen property, you could be eligible for a cash reward.
