Mounties shot at; high-speed chase through Okanagan

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KELOWNA (NEWS1130) – A lengthy, high-speed police chase involving more than a dozen cruisers finally ended when a truck blew through a spike belt and tried running on rims in the Okanagan.

It started when Mounties tried to pull over a minivan in West Kelowna yesterday. The officers say they were shot at and the vehicle sped off, starting a long pursuit up Westside Road.

“There were 14 or 18 police cars going by the other way,” says one woman, who ended up caught in the middle of it. “I nearly dumped my truck in the ditch because it freaked me out. They were going 110 km/h.”

It was a wild ride; at times, it went through traffic and past cars pulled over on the side of the road.

“They switched vehicles a number of times, into a red pick up truck and then into a black pick up truck,” says Constable Kris Clark. “Shots were again fired, while in motion, at RCMP members.”

After 90 minutes, the black truck blew through a spike belt north of Vernon and  slowed down. Two men and a woman were eventually caught; their vehicle was running on rims only.

Clark tells us the incident was terrifying for everyone.

“I wanted to be there to help. When you hear a member on the radio saying that he is being shot at and you can hear the terror in his voice, it’s a very traumatic and very serious situation,” he says.

Since there were injuries to at least the woman, New Westminster Police have been asked to conduct an independent investigation of the Mounties’ actions.

The RCMP says it is remarkable no one else was hurt.

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