Penticton RCMP searching for driver after attempted theft and flight from police

PENTICTON – Penticton RCMP continue to look for the driver of a pickup involved in an attempted theft in Vernon and flight from police last week.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says police were alerted to a report of a jacked-up black Ford F350 pickup truck driving erratically through a construction zone in Peachland around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 20.

A truck matching the same description was seen at the Chevron gas station on Eckhardt Avenue later in the morning by Penticton RCMP.

When the driver saw police, he fled at a high rate of speed, jumping traffic medians in order to escape.

The truck was abandoned near Coyote Cruises on Riverside Drive after the driver crossed a pedestrian bridge which damaged the truck.

The RCMP forensic identification team is going over the abandoned truck in an attempt to identify the driver.

The truck was believed to have been involved in an attempted theft and flight from police in Vernon, and was discovered to have been stolen from an Abbotsford address earlier in the month.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

Steve Arstad's Stories