(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A 30-year-old man was sentenced in Kamloops on Tuesday after leading police on a lengthy chase in a stolen truck.

Tyler James Armstrong, 30, had police in tow from Cherry Creek to Chase and back to Valleyview, where the stolen truck was finally stopped with the help of a spike belt.

Kamloops RCMP said he was chased on Nov. 30, 2023, because officers believed Armstrong was putting a woman in danger, keeping her inside the truck. That turned out to be untrue.

“This situation was presented as extremely high-risk for the woman inside the vehicle,” Supt. Jeff Pelley, Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Officer in Charge, said in a news release at the time.

“When the truck was located and failed to stop for officers, a police pursuit was authorized due to the concern for the woman’s life and safety. The response ended successfully with the victim being rescued, the suspect taken into custody, and no injuries received to any of the parties or police officers involved.”

READ MORE: Woman 'rescued' in Kamloops police chase says driver was helping, not abducting

The woman later contacted iNFOnews.ca to say police didn't "rescue" her, and Armstrong was in fact helping her. She was in danger from other people and Armstrong was assisting her to flee, she said.

"There was no kidnapping. There were no weapons," she said. "They thought there was a weapon and I was being held hostage, which was not the case."

The truck was stopped with the help of spike belts, but they also shot at the truck. She was immediately checked for injuries when police retrieved her from inside.

She later clarified with police that night that she was in no danger from Armstrong, but Kamloops RCMP announced the successful "rescue" around noon the next day.

Detachment spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn did not comment when asked in December about the woman's version of events.

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Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi recounted the chase in court on May 28, but there was no mention of Armstrong having a passenger inside the vehicle nor the reason for the chase.

The court heard the truck Armstrong was driving had been stolen on Nov. 29. Police later spotted the stolen truck in the Cherry Creek area the next day and, when officers tried to pull him over, Armstrong drove off.

Provincial court judge Lorianna Bennett sentenced him according to a joint submission between lawyers.

Initially facing a total of nine criminal charges, Armstrong pleaded guilty to just two: dangerous driving and possession of stolen property.

Armstrong was given a sentence of time already served for the nearly six months he spent behind bars ahead of the Tuesday hearing. He will remain in custody as he awaits a trial for charges in Salmon Arm, including possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

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