Chilliwack RCMP are looking for help from the public in identifying suspects in an investigation into the theft of a Canadian Tire freight trailer from a local business.
A call came into police in the early morning hours of Sept. 10 by an alarm company monitoring suspicious activity outside of a business in the 7500 block of Vedder Road.
General duty officers supported by the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Services arrived on-scene where they attempted to stop a blue-coloured semi tractor hauling freight trailer from the customer parking lot onto Vedder Road.
The tractor unit was quickly stopped on Yale Road and Yale Road West by patrol officers who had deployed a spike belt to disable the stolen vehicle.
As police approached to apprehend the operator of the unit, the suspect abandoned the truck and completed his get-away in a waiting white van. The van sped westbound, from police on Yale Road West.
As Chilliwack RCMP officers continue their investigation, they are releasing a security surveillance image of the incident to the public in the hope of generating information which will assist in identifying the people responsible for the theft.
The suspect is described as a male with a goatee, wearing a baseball cap, black shirt and jeans.
“Criminals who are intent on evading custody show no regard for the safety of the community or the police.
A police vehicle was struck by the escaping van and fortunately no one was injured. Both the Freightliner tractor and white van were reported stolen,” said Corp. Mike Rail, spokesperson for the UFVRD.
Anyone with information to this incident is urged to contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or, to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).