Lawrence Jordan Brown cost thousands of dollars in police resources over the past few days as efforts to catch the "super prolific" offender involved numerous officers, a plane and multiple cruisers tracking his moves.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Penticton RCMP
June 13, 2019 - 6:30 PM
PENTICTON - A police action caught on video did not depict a police high speed chase, says Penticton’s top cop.
Penticton RCMP detachment Superintendent Ted De Jager told media today, June 13, a police incident that took place partly on the Penticton Indian Band reserve around 4:30 p.m. on June 11 was not a high speed police chase.
The action, which involved the arrest of prolific offender Lawrence Jordan Brown, was posted to Youtube video and some of the action is in a residential area of the band.
De Jager says the detachment follows policy laid out by provincial and national frameworks for emergency vehicle operations.
He says the policy has very specific policies about when to pursue.
“It has to be for a high level crime in which it is deemed the danger to the public is outweighed by the need to apprehend the suspect,” De Jager explained, adding, “understandably, it’s going to be a heavy duty thing.”
De Jager says around 99 per cent of the time a pursuit will be called off.
“People see cruisers driving quickly and will think they are in pursuit, but they aren’t,” he says.
During the initial call on Tuesday, June 11, the officers pursuing Brown shut down the pursuit after he initially ignored the lights and sirens.
“They weren’t going to pursue. We had a plane up, providing directions for spike belt deployment by the officers in cruisers. We weren’t chasing him through the community,” De Jager says, adding he had seen the video of the police action.
A second man in a addition to Brown was also arrested following Tuesday’s police action. De Jager said Dwayne Gabriel, driver of the vehicle, was also arrested and charged with flight from police, driving while prohibited, and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
He said Brown, who is not homeless, has been a major source of crime in the region, responsible for a crime spree from Kelowna to Keremeos.
He said the “super prolific” offender has cost thousands of dollars in police resources as he has been committing crimes throughout the region "as fast as he can drive."
Brown has been remanded to June 19.
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