UPDATE: Gang unit involved in search for armed suspects during Coquihalla closure near Merritt
RCMP have released more information about the police incident that closed the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope yesterday.
The major link between the Interior and the Lower Mainland was closed for several hours as RCMP officers searched for armed suspects yesterday, Nov. 23. Video shot from a helicopter in the area and posted to social media showed an abandoned truck near Juliet Bridge and officers on the ground in the area.
The incident began to unfold around 12:15 p.m. when B.C. Highway Patrol officers located a stolen black Dodge Ram pickup travelling on Highway 5 near the Coquihalla Summit, according to an RCMP media release issued today, Nov. 24.
B.C. Highway Patrol officers teamed up with members the Uniform Gang Enforcement Team and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C.
Police tried to initiate a traffic stop but the suspect vehicle fled and turned onto a side road where it became stuck and the three occupants took off on foot.
One fleeing suspect was seen with a firearm, according to a witness report.
Police evacuated over a dozen construction workers from a nearby worksite.
Officers from Merritt detachment and the Southeast District Emergency Response Team arrived as backup. A woman was arrested but two male suspects remain at large, RCMP said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the highway was closed for several hours while we searched the area for these suspects,” Merritt RCMP Sgt. Josh Roda said in the release. “Without knowing their identities or their intentions, and reports indicating they were armed, we felt it was best to keep all members of the public from the scene.”
Police searched for hours and eventually located the men around 6 p.m. and arrested them without incident. They were taken to the Merritt cop shop.
An investigation confirmed the black Dodge Ram 2500 used by the suspects was stolen out of Coquitlam, and the licence plate attached was stolen from Langley.
Police don't believe yesterday's incident is related to any larger events.
"We are aware of the online speculation on the identities of these suspects. Although we are in the preliminary stages of this investigation, there is no indication that these suspects are related to any recent high-profile events in the Lower Mainland, or Merritt," Roda said.
RCMP said officers are grateful for all the help they got. They thanked the commercial truck drivers who located and reported the stolen vehicle, the Ministry of Transportation for being quick to shut down the Coquihalla Highway when travellers were under threat, the Trans Mountain Expansion employees and staff who all followed directions, and the public who were inconvenienced for hours.
Investigators are asking any witnesses or anyone who was near the area of Juliet Bridge, just south of Merritt near the Coquihalla Summit between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Nov. 23 with dash camera video and have not yet spoken to police, to call the Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262.
CLEAR - #BCHwy5 - Police incident between #HopeBC and #MerrittBC has been cleared and is FULL OPEN.#KelownaBC #KamloopsBC — DriveBC (@DriveBC) November 24, 2022
— This story was updated at 10:12 a.m. Nov. 24, 2022 with new information from the Merritt RCMP.
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