A 45-year-old man is in custody after a dramatic police pursuit involving RCMP Air Services, a police dog, and several frontline officers in West Kelowna on Monday.
The incident began around noon when West Kelowna RCMP were alerted to a suspect vehicle heading south on Westside Road, believed to be connected to a wire theft in Vernon.
Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled into the Rose Valley area.
RCMP Air Services tracked the suspect vehicle to Olympus Way, where the driver abandoned it and tried to escape on foot.
However, Police Service Dog Mysan and his handler quickly located him, and he was taken into custody almost immediately.
The suspect sustained only minor injuries and remains in custody ahead of a court appearance on Tuesday.
“This was a very dynamic and well-executed multi-jurisdictional arrest with many moving parts,” said Staff Sgt. Brendan Dolan of the West Kelowna RCMP.
“I commend our frontline officers and special teams who mitigated a significant amount of risk to public safety as a result of this person’s actions.”
