Kamloops, Barriere RCMP use spike belts to stop driver on Highway 5

Nov 15, 2018 | 2:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A 25-year-old man could be facing several charges after allegedly refusing to stop his vehicle for police on Highway 5 early this morning (Nov. 15).

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says in a news release that officers from Barriere and Kamloops resorted to using spike belts to try to safely stop the vehicle after numerous complaints about the driver’s behaviour behind the wheel.

At 1:45 a.m., Barriere RCMP received a report of a possibly impaired driver that had been boxed in by bystanders on the Barriere bridge on Highway 5. The suspect vehicle was able to drive away, heading south on Highway 5.

Officers responded to the area, and on the way there they received additional reports from several truckers and motorists that the driver was in the opposite lane and swerving all over the road. Police attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle refused to stop, turned around and was blocked by bystander semi-trucks.

The vehicle then changed directions again and hit the marked police cruiser twice at a “low speed” before continuing on. Another officer on scene deployed a spike belt that partially disabled the car, but the vehicle continued southbound at a “very low speed”. The driver then struck a second unoccupied police vehicle.

Kamloops’s Police Dog Service unit also attended the area and deployed a second spike belt, deflating the remaining tires. As a precaution, northbound traffic south of the location was stopped by police, according to the news release.

The vehicle continued driving at low speeds on its flat tires and was approaching the stopped traffic, forcing the police to box the vehicle in. The low-speed chase was eventually brought to a stop.

The suspect is a 25-year-old man of no fixed address, and he allegedly refused to leave the vehicle and had to be removed from it by police. He was taken into custody without further incident. The investigation revealed that alcohol or drugs did not contribute to the man’s behaviour, and once assessed medically it was determined the man may have been suffering from a mental health disorder.

A number of charges are being proposed to Crown counsel in relation to the incident, the release states.