Chilliwack RCMP officers were "surprised" by a theft-from-auto suspect in a towing company's gated impound lot in downtown Chilliwack early Tuesday morning.
The two officers had offered to do a foot patrol of AJ Towing's compound on Nowell Street in downtown Chilliwack, a recent target of thieves, while the tow truck driver answered a call.
As one of the officers was shining his flashlight into a vehicle, someone jumped up from the back seat, allegedly in the middle of trying to steal the vehicle's stereo.
"As a police officer, you really have no idea what you can be faced with on patrol in the middle of the night," Const. Tracy Wolbeck said.
"This (encounter) would have come as a huge surprise to the officer, and thankfully the suspect was arrested without incident," she said.
The 26-year-old suspect, a Chilliwack man, is facing criminal charges.
Wolbeck said the RCMP continues to fight property crimes in the downtown area, but anyone with information about crime in their area is asked to call the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.