It has been a weird week for major highways in BC, and the RCMP has come forward with details about the incident that forced the closure of the Coquihalla Highway on Wednesday afternoon.
The RCMP says that at around 12:15 on November 23, officers from BC Highway Patrol (BCHP), who were working alongside members of the Uniform Gang Enforcement Team (UGET), as well as the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) located a stolen black Dodge Ram pickup that was travelling on the Coquihalla Highway, near the Coquihalla Summit.
Officers initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled and proceeded down a side road.
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“The vehicle became stuck, and three occupants ran from the vehicle. Initial witnesses reported that one of the fleeing suspects was in possession of a firearm,” RCMP said in a release.
Construction workers working at a nearby worksite were evacuated “as they were near the last known sighting of the suspects.”
Members of the Merritt RCMP Detachment and the South-East District Emergency Response Team immediately responded to the area and began a search for the suspects.
“One woman was located and arrested shortly after, but two male suspects remained at large.”
This was when authorities decided to close the highway.
REMINDER – ⛔CLOSED – #BCHwy5 – Police incident has the highway closed between #HopeBC and #MerrittBC.
Assessment is in progress. Detour is available.
More info: https://t.co/qsXB5A27E3#KelownaBC #KamloopsBC— DriveBC (@DriveBC) November 23, 2022
Videos shared on social media showed police forces rushing down the highway.
Looks like swat teams on the way @CTVVancouver @GlobalBC @CityNewsTraffic pic.twitter.com/0k7YwQNUE8
— Kevin Cage (@kcage604) November 23, 2022
RCMP Sergeant Josh Roda said that the highway was closed out of an abundance of caution.
“Without knowing their identities or their intentions, and reports indicating they were armed, we felt it was best to keep all members of the public from the scene.”
At around 6 pm, the two men were located and arrested without incident, then transported to the Merritt RCMP Detachment.
RCMP released a photo of a Black Dodge Ram stolen from Coquitlam. They are aware of the online speculation of connecting this incident to “any recent high-profile events in the Lower Mainland.”
However, RCMP says there’s no indication that’s the case and that it is in the preliminary stages of the investigation.
RCMP
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