Kelowna man in custody after leading RCMP on wild, fiery ride

WEST KELOWNA – The 25 year old driver of a stolen Chevy Malibu was arrested today, Aug. 14, after he allegedly blew by Mounties who tried to pull it over in the Smith Creek area and then crashed at the north end of Carrington Road.

West Kelowna RCMP received information Aug. 14 at approximately 12:30 p.m. of a stolen vehicle, reportedly stolen earlier this morning in Kelowna, being driven towards the Smith Creek area. Front line RCMP officers attempted to stop the stolen white Chevrolet Malibu, which fled towards downtown West Kelowna along Elliott Road.

“Due to concerns of public and police safety, officers called off the pursuit of the stolen sedan, which was being driven in a dangerous manner,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesperson for the Kelowna Regional RCMP, said in a press release. “A short time later, police located their suspect vehicle, which had been involved in a collision with an electrical transformer at the north end of Carrington Road.”

Both the police helicopter and fixed wing aircraft of Kelowna RCMP Air Services section circled at different altitudes above, while a police canine team launched a search for the suspects on the ground.

The West Kelowna Fire Department were called to the collision scene to suppress a blaze that sparked as a result of the collision and spread to nearby grass.

“After an exhaustive search by our canine team, a 25-year-old Kelowna man was taken into police custody within our area of containment,” said O’Donaghey.

Anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-768-2880. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net

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