Charges have been approved against a 42-year-old Alberta man who tried to flee from police in Prince George this month.
In a release, Cpl. Craig Douglass says just before noon on Aug. 14, the Prince George RCMP Street Crew Unit attempted to execute a traffic stop along Victoria Street, near its 15th Avenue intersection, but the driver raced north along the major strip and officers decided not to pursue the vehicle, which was linked to the person with the aforementioned arrest warrant.
However, moments after, reports of a two-vehicle collision came in, which included the suspect vehicle, at Eighth Avenue and Vancouver Street.
The occupant of the other vehicle involved in the incident was taken to hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The driver then fled on foot and hopped into another vehicle with another male driver.
Mounties stopped the second vehicle at Victoria Street and Third Avenue and two occupants were arrested on scene.
Christopher Frank Phillips has been charged by the B.C. Prosecution Service with the following four counts:
- Flight from police
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Failing to comply with probation
He was found to have an outstanding arrest warrant out of Red Deer for a number of offences which are mostly related to firearms, drugs and driving. These charges are believed to have stemmed from an incident in Sept. of 2019.
Phillips also had another arrest warrant for drug-related charges in Ontario from an Aug. 2018 incident.
Phillips remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 16. Investigators are assisting the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service to have Phillips returned to Alberta once the court process is finished in B.C.
The 32-year-old man arrested with Philips has been released without charges at this time.
The investigation is ongoing.
- with files from Kyle Balzer, PrinceGeorgeMatters
