On Tuesday, Feb. 13 a Salmon Arm RCMP officer on patrol conducted a routine licence plate check near the Trans Canada Highway and 30th Street Southwest. The check revealed the vehicle, a white Ford Aerostar van to be stolen.
The officer followed the vehicle to a rural area to the west of Salmon Arm, where it turned down a dead end road. Upon seeing this. the officer proceeded to position his police car to block the vehicle’s escape. The van turned around and drove back towards the officer, sideswiping the police car and hitting a snowbank before attempting to turn back onto the Trans Canada.
Police officers had set up a spike belt near Piers Point Road and the Trans Canada Highway, deflating two tires on the van and slowing it to 60 km/hr while an unmarked police vehicle followed the van out of town without raising the suspicions of the driver.
The vehicle then turned off the highway and shortly after ran into the ditch near Tappen Beach Road where the plain-clothes officer arrested two occupants, one male and one female, both in their 40’s and with no fixed address.
The RCMP have recommended six charges, including possession of stolen property. flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. No injuries were sustained during this incident.