Driver rolls vehicle then flees scene

An out of town driver scrambled out the window of his car and fled after crashing and rolling his vehicle in a residential Vernon neighbourhood last night.

People were out walking and cycling when the 1994 green Eagle Talon flipped at 43 Street and 24 Avenue around 7 p.m.  "Witnesses report he was swerving, then hit the curb and rolled his vehicle," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. " He was seen getting out of the car and then he fled the scene. He was apprehended by good citizens some distance away."

Molendyk says a mess of .22 calibre bullets were found scattered at the scene. "The box (they were in) probably rolled around during the crash and spilled out," he says. "It's not illegal to own firearms or bullets, and not uncommon for people to have them at certain times of the year for hunting."

Several beer cans were seized at the scene, and Molendyk says they will be part of an ongoing police investigation into this file.

Despite foot and bicycle traffic, not to mention other drivers in the area, Molendyk says the public was unharmed by the accident.

"A lady on a bike felt that he came fairly close to her as he was swerving," Molendyk says.

The 25-year-old driver from Courtenay, B.C., faces charges of impaired driving, dangerous driving, and leaving the scene of an accident. He is expected to appear in Vernon Provincial Court Aug. 1.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.