Penticton pickup thief caught after police chase

Penticton RCMP have arrested a man who led police on a chase in a stolen pickup earlier this week.

Police received a report of a stolen pickup truck from a Granby Avenue residence in the early morning hours of March 11, according to an RCMP media release.

Officers, along with a police dog, converged on the neighbourhood around 1 p.m., spotting the stolen vehicle on Green Mountain Road.

The driver refused to stop during a police attempt to pull the suspect vehicle over and the driver sped off into the hills, RCMP said.

Police were able to locate the vehicle a short time later and as the driver sped off again, they drove into the brush knocking down trees. Officers followed the tracks and eventually found the abandoned vehicle.

A search for the suspect involving officers, police dogs and an RCMP plane soon located the accused who has been identified as Ryan Regan, 36, from Keremeos.

Regan was arrested and made a court appearance today, March 12, where he faces possible charges of motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

“Utilizing appropriate and all policing resources in a manner which kept in mind public safety, with the need to apprehend the accused, resulted in our officers successfully removing another offender from our community,” Penticton RCMP spokesperson Const. James Grandy said in the release.

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