Woman 'rescued' in Kamloops police chase says driver was helping, not abducting
A police chase through Kamloops last week damaged two RCMP vehicles, a civilian vehicle and a light pole before the suspect vehicle was stopped with the help of a spike belt.
Kamloops RCMP justified the chase because they believed a woman inside the truck was being held against her will, and that she had called for help. They later said in a news release officers "rescued" her.
But the woman inside the vehicle said none of that was true. She said the man was helping her.
"We clarified everything and they were mistaken," she said. "He was trying to protect me."
READ MORE: Online fundraiser launched for TRU athlete killed in car crash
The woman, whom iNFOnews.ca agreed not to name, said she received threats from other people and the driver in the police chase was actually there to support her.
"There was no kidnapping. There were no weapons," she said. "They thought there was a weapon and I was being held hostage, which was not the case."
It was after the Nov. 30 chase, once she was in the hospital, that she explained the situation to police.
Still, around noon the next day, Kamloops RCMP issued a news release saying they pursued the truck through Kamloops and toward Chase, then back to Valleyview in an effort to protect her.
"This situation was presented as extremely high-risk for the woman inside the vehicle," Supt. Jeff Pelley said in a news release. “When the truck was located and failed to stop for officers, a police pursuit was authorized due to the concern for the woman’s life and safety. The response ended successfully with the victim being rescued, the suspect taken into custody, and no injuries received to any of the parties or police officers involved.”
Officers used "a number of police tactics" to stop the vehicle, including spike belts. The woman said they also shot at the truck, and officers patted her down, inspecting her for bullet wounds immediately after she was out of the vehicle.
READ MORE: Time's up for unsafe Kelowna house, City prepares for demolition
The suspect did flee from police, and court records appear to show why he did so.
Tyler Anderson, born in 1994, remains in custody following the chase. He's facing nine criminal charges, including theft of a motor vehicle, driving while prohibited, and breaching a previous bail condition that ordered him not to have contact with the woman in his passenger seat. Missing from the charge sheet is any charge related to unlawful confinement.
Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn did not comment when asked whether police are still investigating whether the woman was forcibly confined.
She also didn't comment on whether they are investigating threats against her from other men not involved in the chase.
"The matter is before the courts, therefore no further information is currently available for release by police," Evelyn said in an emailed response.
Anderson is scheduled for a bail hearing on Dec. 11.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
