Salmon Arm thieves foiled by stolen SUV’s navigation system

SALMON ARM – Thieves got more than they bargained for after stealing a vehicle in Salmon Arm that had an active tracking system.

RCMP were able to quickly locate two suspects believed to have held up a couple at knifepoint while stealing their vehicle, which turned out to have an OnStar tracking system.

Police were called to a downtown Salmon Arm bank yesterday afternoon, Nov. 12, on a report of a couple being robbed in the ATM vestibule.

The victims told police a man wearing a mask threatened them with a knife, demanded money and the keys to their vehicle, then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash, in the couple’s SUV.

The suspect was joined by a woman with pink hair and printed pants, who got into the victim’s vehicle along with robbery suspect.

The vehicle’s OnStar tracking system guided police to the suspect’s location where the pair were arrested and the vehicle, disguise, cash and the victim's identification was recovered.

Police media spokesperson Staff Sgt. Scott West said in a press release the two suspects, a 24-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, are in custody in Salmon Arm pending court appearances for armed robbery, disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence and theft of a motor vehicle charges.

RCMP victim services are providing support to the victims and potential witnesses in the investigation, West said.

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