Helicopter deployed as car thief evades police, crashes into police car

It took high speeds and helicopter to eventually chase down a car thief from Quesnel.

According to a news release from the RCMP, just before 2:30 PM on Sunday they received a report of a stolen pick-up from the parking lot of a business in Quesnel.

Officers located the vehicle travelling north towards Prince George on Highway 97, the driver fled at high speeds and in the interest of public safety, officers did not give chase.

Prince George RCMP, with the assistance of an Air 3 helicopter, located the vehicle near Red Rock, BC, approximately 30 kilometres south of Prince George.  After the driver again refused to stop, the vehicle was tracked into Prince George.

Just before 4:00 PM, multiple General Duty officers intercepted the vehicle near the southwest end of Massey Drive in Prince George.  While attempting to evade police, a collision occurred between the stolen vehicle and a marked police car.

The driver and lone occupant was arrested without further incident.  Alcohol was a factor. 

As a precaution, the suspect was transported to hospital to be checked by medical personnel and no police officers were injured.

A 27 year old Quesnel resident was held in custody overnight and will appear in Provincial Court later today.