Three arrested after fleeing stolen vehicle

One man and two women were arrested after fleeing from a stolen truck near Mount Baldy, BC.

On April 2, 2024 at 9:05 a.m., Oliver RCMP responded to a report from a citizen who was following a stolen vehicle on McKinney Road before the vehicle rammed the citizens vehicle and the occupants fled into the snow-covered bush.

Officers from the Oliver and Osoyoos RCMP converged on the area where they located the citizen as well as a Ford F250 pickup truck that had been stolen from West Kelowna on March 26, 2024. Two women, a 22-year-old from Vernon and a 38-year-old from Oliver who fled from the stolen truck were quickly located in the bushes in close proximity to the road. The driver, a 27-year-old man from Williams Lake was located after an extensive search in the outback utilizing RCMP Air Services as well as a police service dog from Penticton.

The capture and arrest of this man would not have been possible without the determined efforts of police dog, Dug, states South Okanagan RCMP spokesperson, Sgt. Jason Bayda. Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the dedication of our dog handler and cover officer who trekked through nearly 5 kms of snow and steep terrain under the watchful eyes in the sky of our skilled pilot.

Cpl Jason Goodfellow, PSD Dug, Cst Owen Johansson

We always encourage the public to call us when they see a crime being committed and to not engage the suspects. You never know who you are dealing with and what risks they can pose to you. In this case we are thankful that neither the citizen nor any officers were injured. The man and two women were also uninjured but as can be expected, they were cold and tired.

All three were arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle while the man faces additional charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and breach of probation.