The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is sharing some details about a wild chase that wound up with one person from Alberta getting arrested in Vancouver.
According to the VPD, yesterday at around 3 p.m., the VPD initiated a Code 3 pursuit after it observed a distraught female who was a passenger in a BMW. A Code 3 is considered a priority response and is essentially when a police cruiser turns on its lights and sirens.
VPD says that officers who conducted “proactive patrols” near East Hastings and Dunlevy were the first to spot the parked vehicle before the pursuit ensued.
The BMW was occupied and had Alberta plates.
“Inside, a front-seat female passenger appeared visibly distraught,” VPD said in a release.
“Concerned for her safety and well-being, officers activated their emergency lights and sirens to conduct a welfare check. The vehicle immediately sped away. Due to the perceived threat to the passenger, a police pursuit was authorized,” VPD added.
Multiple police vehicles were involved in the high-speed pursuit, weaving through traffic into downtown Vancouver. VPD said that the Alberta driver showed a “complete disregard for public safety.”
The pursuit concluded somewhere near Waterfront Station. VPD said that officers were able to utilize a vehicle interdiction tactic and “executed a high-risk takedown.”
The suspect, a 44-year-old Alberta man, was arrested. VPD says that the Alberta driver faces possible charges of forcible confinement, drug possession, and dangerous driving.
The female passenger, who appeared distraught, is cooperating with investigators.
VPD says that the file remains under investigation.
This isn’t the first time an Alberta resident has been implicated in some type of law enforcement incident, though usually they involve simple driving infractions like speeding, not forcible confinement.
Just last month, an Alberta driver got caught speeding in B.C., which required her to have her vehicle impounded.