Man flees from U.S. police, crashes in B.C. after speeding across border

SURREY, B.C. – Mounties in Surrey, B.C., say a driver who fled from authorities in the U.S., sped through the Peace Arch border crossing and crashed in British Columbia is now in custody.

They say RCMP responded to a report that a suspected stolen vehicle had crossed the border from Washington State around 8 p.m. Saturday.

Police say officers quickly found the silver Hyundai SUV on Highway 99, where it went off the road and caught fire.

They say the driver was able to extricate himself from the vehicle and was taken into custody after what they say was a “brief altercation” with police.

Officers deployed “an energy weapon” during the interaction, police say, but the man was not seriously injured.

Mounties say he was transported to the hospital and, once he was medically cleared, was brought to the border and released to U.S. law enforcement officers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2023.