RCMP foot chase ends in Vernon park with help of police dog

VERNON – A police dog made short work of the hunt for a suspect who ran into a Vernon park to hide this week.

The RCMP dog team tracked down a teenager wanted on gun-related offences in Girouard Park in Easthill on Tuesday, July 28.

The chase started when officers knocked on the door of a home in the 4200-block of 20 Street to make inquiries about the suspect, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant, according to a media release from the RCMP.

The suspect took off on foot into a wooded area in the park. That’s when the police dog was called in, Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says.

“Several young families using the park at the time were asked to please leave the area for safety concerns while our officers were attempting to apprehend the suspect,” Molendyk says in the release.

Within minutes of its arrival, the dog team found the suspect hiding about 20 feet from the officer who had been chasing him.

A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with two counts of pointing a firearm, uttering threats and a conditional supervision breach. He is scheduled to appear in court today, July 30, on those charges.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.