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May 27, 2019 - 12:49 PM
WEST KELOWNA - Two Albertans, allegedly armed with loaded firearms and driving a stolen pickup truck, led Mounties on a wild chase Saturday night.
West Kelowna RCMP were notified on Saturday, May 25, shortly before 11 p.m., of a theft of motor vehicle, that just occurred along Ironridge Drive. RCMP frontline officers in marked and unmarked police vehicles flooded the area and quickly spotted the stolen grey Ford F-350 being driven through the Shannon Lake neighbourhood with two occupants.
“Officers engaged their emergency lights and sirens in an effort to conduct a traffic stop with the freshly stolen pickup truck,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey of the Kelowna RCMP, in a press release.
“The stolen pickup truck failed to stop for police, instead accelerating at a high rate of speed, placing the general public, responding police officers and themselves at risk. As a result, our officers dis-engaged their pursuit of the vehicle.”
Police late spotted the F-350 as it headed northbound along Highway 97 towards Kelowna. In an attempt to corner the truck in a dead end off Sneena Road, the suspect allegedly reversed at a high rate of speed towards police.
The suspect vehicle then drove to Kelowna, where a spike belt was unsuccessfully deployed on the bridge deck in the westbound lane after the suspect vehicle turned around at Abbott Street.
RCMP set up a road block after the stolen full-sized pickup truck was eyed fleeing down yet another dead end road on the westside of Okanagan Lake.
In another attempt to escape, the driver high centred the F-350 while driving through fields along Old Ferry Wharf Road. The driver and a passenger were taken into police custody during a high risk take down. Two loaded sawed-off shotguns were recovered from inside the stolen vehicle.
A 23-year-old man and a 30-year-old man, both of Cold Lake, Alberta, face potential criminal charges. Both men were held in police custody and are expected to appear in Kelowna Law Courts today, May 27.
If you witnessed this incident and have not yet spoken to police you are asked to call the West Kelowna RCMP at 250-768-2880.
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