A “dynamic and dangerous” scenario played out in Chilliwack early Saturday morning, with a male driver ramming into four police cruisers before being hit by a conducted energy weapon and arrested.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries in the Oct. 25 incident that spanned from Chilliwack proper to east Chilliwack starting around 3:30 a.m. It all began in the area of Wellington Avenue and Lower Landing Road, when a Chilliwack RCMP officer tried to pull over a suspicious truck.
The driver fled at a high rate of speed, and the officer didn’t pursue.
The truck was soon seen in the downtown core by officers conducting patrols there.
Sgt. Alexandra Mulvihill, spokesperson for the Chilliwack RCMP said in a press release that the truck “was observed driving erratically through side streets.”
The truck “eventually encountered a marked police vehicle, changed direction, and collided head-on with a second police cruiser,” she said. “Despite the impact, the driver continued to flee, failing to stop at multiple controlled intersections.”
The truck was later located eastbound on Yale Road near Prest Road.
It was there that the truck lost control and struck a parked, unoccupied civilian vehicle.
Mulvihill said that multiple officers responded and attempted to “contain” the vehicle.
“The suspect made further attempts to flee, ramming several police vehicles in the process,” she said. “The driver was extracted from the vehicle and sustained minor injuries consistent with broken glass. A Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) was deployed during the arrest, and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.”
In total six vehicles were damaged, including the four RCMP cruisers, the suspect vehicle and the empty vehicle.
When the press release was sent out, RCMP were still investigating if the vehicle was stolen.
“This was a dynamic and dangerous situation that unfolded quickly,” Mulvihill said. “Thanks to the coordinated efforts of our officers, the suspect was apprehended, and further harm to the public was prevented.”
The driver was taken to Chilliwack General Hospital for assessment. Two officers also had minor injuries and received medical attention. All individuals have since been released from hospital, and the suspect male remains in custody facing a number of charges.
The RCMP did not release further information about the suspect.
The investigation is ongoing.