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By CKPG Today

Cariboo Crime

Trio arrested after crime spree ends in serious Highway 97 crash

Oct 25, 2022 | 10:05 AM

QUESNEL, B.C. — Three people have been arrested after a stolen vehicle rolled multiple times on Highway 97 south of Quesnel.

It all started at 6:20 a.m. Monday morning (Oct. 24) when Quesnel RCMP responded to the theft of a 2000 Ford F-350 from a motel on Front Street.

“Approximately one hour later, at 7:23 a.m., the stolen vehicle was used in the theft of a boat and boat trailer from the Lakeview Crescent area. However, the thieves had failed to properly attach the trailer and it fell off the hitch and was recovered in a nearby yard,” says Sgt. Clay Kronebusch.

“At 7:50 a.m., the suspects then entered a rural property in Alexandria and attempted to steal a UTV (side by side) with the stolen truck. When the property owner attempted to stop the theft, the stolen truck collided with the property owner’s vehicle. The truck was followed by the owner south on the highway, where a second collision occurred at a rest stop. The stolen vehicle then fled north on Highway 97, where it rolled several times in the west ditch after failing to negotiate a driveway to a field.”

He says the two suspects in the stolen vehicle were injured in the collision while the third suspect then stole a bystander’s Dodge 3500 truck and fled south on Highway 97. The truck was found on a rural property in Alexandria, hidden behind a building. When the police approached, the truck fled at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing an RCMP officer.

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“As the police were closing in on the truck, the suspect drove into a yard and stole a quad from the driveway. The suspect entered a field, drove through a barbed wire fence, and rolled the quad down a steep embankment.

“With the assistance of a RCMP police dog and a police helicopter, the suspect was located and arrested after he swam across the Fraser River to the west side. The suspect was exhausted and later transported to the hospital with symptoms of hypothermia,” adds Kronebusch.

He says two suspects injured in the rollover were also transported by ground ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service for assessment of charges for all three of the suspects.