Just before noon Friday, the Prince George RCMP received a report of a stolen vehicle from the parking lot of a local business. The 2010 Chevrolet pickup truck had been stolen sometime within the hour.
A short time later, General Duty officers spotted the vehicle in the College Heights area of Prince George. They initiated surveillance and called for Air 3, the RCMP helicopter. In the interest of public safety, police did not pursue the stolen vehicle.
The vehicle departed the area driving in a dangerous and aggressive manner, however, officers were able to maintain surveillance of it as it travelled northbound on Ospika Boulevard. Several minutes later, plainclothes police officers attempted to box the truck in near the intersection of 15th Avenue and Ewert Street. The driver made overt efforts to escape the area and subsequently collided with a civilian vehicle and an unmarked police truck. As a result, the driver of the civilian vehicle and a police officer suffered minor injuries, and both the stolen vehicle and police truck sustained significant damage.
A 34-year-old Prince George man was taken into custody and will be held for a judicial hearing. The accused is well known to local police for property related offences.
The investigation is continuing.
If you have any information about property related crimes 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 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you could be eligible for a cash reward.