Three suspects are in custody in Port Alberni after a police chase on Tuesday afternoon ended with a stolen truck driving over a spike belt on Highway 4. near the Bamfield turnoff.
Oceanside RCMP called Port Alberni asking that they look out for a truck that was stolen from their area that may have been used in a series of property crimes, RCMP Cpl. Jen Allan said.
RCMP officers spotted the truck as it passed through Cathedral Grove just after 4 p.m. Officers reported the truck driving erratically even passing other vehicles on the right of the road on the shoulder.
Police laid a spike belt across the road near the old Island Highway turnoff then maneuvered the truck over it, disabling it near the Bamfield turnoff.
A male driver tried to flee the scene but was corralled by a police dog unit moments later. Police also arrested two female passengers in the truck.
Police found a cache of drugs and a weapon in the truck.
The driver is from Qualicum Beach and the females from Port Alberni. All are known to police, Allan said.
"This incident confirms the fact that in some cases vehicle thieves jeopardize the public's safety as much as those committing violent crimes in our community,” Allan said. “The dangerous method in which this truck was being operated could very well have resulted in community members and officers being seriously harmed.”
The suspects remain in police custody this morning as investigators from Oceanside and Port Alberni detachments continue their investigations.
reporter@albernivalleynews.com
Twitter.com/AlberniNews