Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
October 14, 2014 - 1:42 PM
KELOWNA - An alleged aggressive driver in a red Ford Mustang managed to give Mounties the slip but was eventually tracked down — just as the car was being pushed into a storage locker, Monday.
A member of the RCMP noticed the driver manuevering aggressively while tailgating other vehicles, including the investigator's unmarked car, Oct. 13. The officer turned on the siren and lights to pull the driver over, but the Mustang accelerated to 120 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, according to a press release. The car swerved abruptly, crossed all lanes of traffic to exit the highway and the officer broke off the pursuit.
Shortly after, complaints starting pouring into RCMP about someone matching the description of the suspect and vehicle passing traffic on the shoulder of the highway and driving through a ditch near the intersection of Sexsmith and Combro Roads. The tips helped police locate the car just as it was being shoved into a storage locker. A 36-year-old man and 25-year-old woman both from Kelowna were arrested. Ammunition was found in the vehicle, something the man was prohibited from possessing.
Police don't know yet if the car was stolen.
“The apprehension of this dangerous driver, who posed an extreme risk to the community, would not have been possible without the assistance of the public,” Central Okanagan Traffic Services Const. Tim Churchill says.
Police believe the man was at the wheel and he was issued a ticket for driving without a licence, no insurance and using a wrong numbered licence plate. He was released to appear in court at a later date. He also faces potential criminal charges for dangerous driving, flight from police and failure to comply with a court order.
The woman was released without charges.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who may have witnesses this incident or has information can contact Const. Tim Churchill at 250-980-5350.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014