Oceanside RCMP deployed a spike belt early Wednesday morning to catch a suspected thief who led them on a chase in the region.
Police say they were called at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by a man who said he witnessed a theft in progress in the Parksville Industrial Park. Police say the suspect was confronted by the complainant, who yelled at him to stop and he quickly fled the area, Southbound on Highway 19A, in a white pickup truck.
Nanaimo RCMP were notified of the event and located the vehicle in North Nanaimo. The vehicle was confirmed stolen and members of the Nanaimo RCMP followed the vehicle (now turned and travelling north) back towards Parksville.
Members of the Oceanside RCMP say they deployed a spike belt on Highway 19 at the Northwest Bay Logging Road. The vehicle continued to drive north on the highway at a relatively slow speed due to loss of tire inflation.
RCMP members from both Oceanside and Nanaimo continued following the stolen truck until it lost control and drove into the grass median near Cook Creek. The driver and passenger, both from the Oceanside area, were arrested at the scene without incident.
The driver, a 44 year old man from Bowser is facing several charges including possession of stolen property, and cause pursuit. The driver was scheduled to appear in Nanaimo Provincial Court Wednesday afternoon.
— NEWS Staff/RCMP news release