(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops RCMP constable took the stand in B.C. Supreme Court as a fellow officer faces criminal charges.

Const. Christoper Squire, 35, is facing one count of dangerous driving stemming from a 2018 chase of a stolen vehicle.

The jury returned for the second day in the Kamloops trial today, Feb. 28, which is expected to last two weeks.

Const. Lane Tobin returned to the witness stand to be cross-examined by Const. Squire's lawyer Brad Smith to explain his involvement in the Westsyde Road chase, accompanied by dashcam footage from his police cruiser.

READ MORE: B.C. lawyer that accepted $45,000 in $20 bills gets suspended

"You said it was exceptional police work. Do you remember that?" Smith asked, to which Const. Tobin confirmed.

Const. Tobin was "demoralized" when he learned he was under a code of conduct investigation, along with Const. Squire and another officer after the arrest.

"I felt proud of the work we did. It was dynamic and we didn't have a lot of time to make decisions. I thought given the circumstances we did a good job," he said.

The dashcam footage gave a look from Const. Tobin's perspective of the Dec. 8, 2018, chase. He joined while officers were already trying to stop the stolen Ford truck.

Police followed the truck northbound onto Westsyde Road around 12:30 a.m., before supervising officers had them call off the chase. Const. Squire was directed to surveil and keep his distance from the suspect while in an unmarked cruiser.

Const. Tobin, driving a marked cruiser, kept further back from Const. Squire to avoid being seen.

The officers followed the stolen truck to Elder Road before turning around and heading southbound toward Grasslands Boulevard, where police were waiting with a spike belt.

Constables Tobin and Squire chased the truck as it sped away, where the suspect veered into a ditch to avoid the belt, nearly striking another officer. 

Const. Squire then used a PIT maneuver successfully to stop the suspect, forcing the front end of his cruiser into the side of the stolen truck, causing it to spin 180 degrees. The suspect was then arrested, but he was injured.

The chase was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., with charges eventually approved by the B.C. Prosecution Service in 2020.

The police watchdog investigated three officers, including Const. Tobin, but only Const. Squire is facing a criminal charge for dangerous driving.

Const. Tobin said he and Const. Squire were disciplined after the RCMP code of conduct investigation, but did not specify exactly what punishment they faced for the chase.

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. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2023