Off-duty RCMP officer helps catch car thief in B.C.'s interior

An off-duty Burnaby Mountie helped police in the interior deploy a spike belt to stop a vehicle allegedly stolen from an Cache Creek gas station.

The Burnaby staff sergeant had pulled into the service station at about 8 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 26), when he spotted a man on foot frantically chasing a silver Kia Rio as it was being driven away by an alleged thief, according to an Ashcroft RCMP press release.

The suspect fled northbound towards Clinton, police said.

The off-duty Burnaby Mountie followed the stolen vehicle and gave updates on its movements to local police until it ran over a spike belt set up by Clinton RCMP.

“The suspect was allegedly observed driving in a dangerous manner, at times travelling in the on-coming lanes of the highway,” stated the release.

A 34-year-old Williams Lake man now faces criminal charges.  

“RCMP officers not only work and live, but often travel through communities across our beautiful province,” Southeast District RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in the release. “The off-duty officer’s situational awareness and collaboration with our police dispatchers and Clinton RCMP officers resulted in the safe arrest during a situation which had the potential to harm someone.”

Since the off-duty officer is on vacation, Burnaby RCMP is not naming him at this time, according to spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj.

But the staff sergeant has been with the force for nearly 40 years, Kalanj said, and he's not surprised he stepped up when situation presented itself.