Spike belt deployed to stop speeding vehicle

A vehicle first thought to be connected to shots fired in West Kelowna, was later determined to not be linked to that incident.

On Thursday (Jan. 14) around 8:30 p.m., a Kelowna RCMP officer was patrolling on the Bennett Bridge and attempted to stop a vehicle that matched the description of a suspect vehicle from the alleged shooting incident in West Kelowna earlier in the evening.

The vehicle, a white SUV, fled at a high rate of speed. Officer at the north end of the bridge deployed a spike belt in an attempt to stop it. The vehicle continued to flee from police and a short time later, RCMP terminated the pursuit in the interests of public safety.

Officers continued to patrol the surrounding areas and the suspect vehicle was located abandoned on McKenzie Road. RCMP Police Dog Services attended and searched the area, but the driver was not located.

“Our investigation later determined that this vehicle was not involved in the incident in West Kelowna, and all indications are that this driver was fleeing from police for other unknown and unrelated reasons,” said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy of the Kelowna RCMP. “Regardless, the behaviour of this driver was extremely dangerous, and put everyone at risk. We are now treating this as a separate criminal investigation and are working to identify the driver.”

The vehicle has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.