(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON – A pair of thieves are in custody and facing charges after they were arrested in Vernon following a police chase involving a U-Haul cube van on the weekend.

RCMP say it all started yesterday, Jan. 7, when officers were called to look into a man and woman allegedly using fraudulent credit cards at Best Buy and The Bay in Vernon.

Const. Kelly Brett says in a media release that in both cases a man and woman entered the store, gave fake names and used credit cards to purchase “a large amount of electronics and household items.”

They were arrested when they returned with a cube van to pick up their purchased items.

“The RCMP located the male suspect just outside the entrance sitting in the U-Haul van,” Brett says in the release. “When the police activated their emergency equipment and attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, the vehicle fled and as a result hit two police vehicles and an unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot.”

Brett says the driver of the U-Haul van sped away from the scene at a high rate of speed, and police received numerous reports from the public about a van being driven dangerously throughout the immediate area.

Police managed to stop the vehicle with a spiked belt near Ellison Provincial Park on Eastside Road. 

The female suspect who was left behind was apprehended without incident.

Through further investigation, RCMP have learned the two suspects, who are from the Lower Mainland, may have been involved in numerous theft from motor vehicles reported over the weekend. 

“The investigation is still ongoing at this time and formal charges are expected to be laid within the next three days,” Brett says. 

“It was the quick thinking of the store's employees in recognizing that something was suspicious about the two suspects and the information they provided. This led police to be able to respond immediately and ultimately apprehend the two suspects.”

No RCMP officers or members of the public were injured during this incident. 

A man and woman, both from the Lower Mainland, are currently in custody facing numerous charges related to dangerous driving, fraud and possession of stolen property.

RCMP have not released their identities.

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