RCMP recover two stolen vehicles after arrest on forest service road

Kelowna RCMP’s Target Team arrested a man and woman known to police after a coordinated response to locate two stolen vehicles.

On May 14, 2021, the Target Team observed a grey Chevrolet Suburban parked in the Rutland area. The vehicle had been stolen overnight during a residential break and enter where a grey Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was also stolen. Investigators followed the vehicle to the area of Postill Lake Forest Service Road while coordinating a response to safely stop the vehicle with the assistance of RCMP Air Services, Police Dog Services in partnership with uniformed and plainclothes officers of the Kelowna RCMP.

“The vehicle attempted to evade police and investigators deployed a tire deflation device,” stated Cst. Solana Paré, Media Relations Officer with the Kelowna Regional Detachment. “As the vehicle continued to flee, the driver allegedly attempted to drive into a plainclothes officer at the scene, who was able to move out of the way to safety.”

The vehicle continued for a short time until it was rendered inoperable and the male driver fled on a bicycle while the female passenger fled on foot. The man was arrested by police after briefly fleeing on the bicycle and was uncooperative with the officer, actively resisting arrest. In order to take the man into custody, assistance was required from several backup officers. The female passenger was located and taken into custody with the assistance of Police Dog Services.

The bicycle the man was riding was also determined to have been stolen on May 11 in Kelowna. Later that evening, investigators from the Target Team recovered the stolen Chevrolet Silverado at another residential address.

A 33-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman both from Kelowna were held in police custody on numerous pending charges. The investigation remains ongoing.