Man arrested after stolen truck crashes and seriously injures another driver in Kelowna

KELOWNA – A man suspected of driving a stolen Ford F150 pickup truck fled the scene after the truck crossed the centre line on Leathhead Road and crashed nearly head-on into a Mitsubishi Outlander about 7:30 a.m. today, Dec. 5.

The male driver of the Mitsubishi was rushed to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, police say.

The truck was reported stolen from the Shannon Lake area and the owner was tracking it on his GPS system while the RCMP were patrolling the Leathhead area looking for it when they happened upon the collision, states an RCMP news release. Firefighters helped extricate the injured Mitsubishi driver while the pickup driver fled on foot.

“An area of containment was immediately established around the collision scene and Police Service Dog Ice, of the Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Section was brought in to conduct a search,” Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says the release. “A suspect was taken into custody, after being tracked by the police canine into the fenced compound of a nearby commercial property.”

The collision on Leathhead Road near McPhee Street forced police to close Leathhead for some time.

Anyone who witnessed the crash and has not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net.

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