Men with warrants in Fort St. John arrested in Salmon Arm

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two men with warrants in Fort St. John were arrested in Salmon Arm after a police chase from Kelowna.

Kelowna RCMP attempted to stop a Ford F350 at about 9:15 a.m. on Thursday because the vehicle was suspected of being involved in property crime. The vehicle avoided the traffic stop, resulting in a pursuit by police.

RCMP surveillance units and air services were able to locate the vehicle while it was leaving Kelowna, heading to Vernon. The vehicle did not stop at red lights and used the shoulder to pass vehicles on the right, said police.

Salmon Arm plainclothes officers positioned themselves in a rural area to deploy a spike belt at 10:45 a.m.

According to police, the vehicle drove over the spike belt and kept driving as the front tires deflated and continued to do so while the tires disintegrated.

The driver lost control of the vehicle a short distance from the spike belt, and the vehicle went off the road into a deep, mud, and water-filled ditch, where it came to an abrupt stop.

The truck’s two occupants attempted to escape by jumping out of the truck’s sunroof but were taken into custody by RCMP Emergency Response Team members in a nearby field.

In addition to the warrants in Fort St. John, the suspects both had warrants in Salmon Arm and Kamloops.

One man was also found to be in breach by being in a motor vehicle and not where he was directed to reside in Fort St. John.

Police said neither man resides in Salmon Arm, but local police know one of them.

Kelowna and Salmon Arm RCMP are still investigating this incident and others in which the two men may have been involved.