Suspect nabbed after stealing pickup left warming up in West Kelowna driveway

RCMP arrested a woman after she stole a truck in West Kelowna today while it was warming up.

The owner of a red 2021 Dodge Ram pickup left their truck running to quickly grab their wallet from inside their home around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 6, according to a press release from police.

In the time the owner was gone, someone hopped into the truck and stole it from the 2800-block of Doucette Drive in West Kelowna.

A little while later around 9:15 a.m. the satellite radio company for the vehicle gave police GPS coordinates for the truck showing it was parked in East Kelowna.

RCMP used Police Dog Services and Air Services to locate the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.

The female driver was the only person in the truck and she damaged one of the police vehicles before making a high speed escape. Police did not pursue the truck.

The truck stopped around 10 a.m. near Pacific Avenue and Gordon Drive and the woman fled on foot, but she was caught and arrested shortly after.

She is still in custody facing numerous charges including possession of stolen property and flight from police.

“This demonstrates how invaluable having air assets in our detachment area are,” Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Michael Gauthier said in the release.

“It’s unclear if this particular vehicle was being targeted or if this was strictly an opportunistic theft, however it serves as a reminder to be very mindful if you are going to be leaving your vehicle running even if only momentarily.

“Thankfully this owner reported the incident to police immediately and the vehicle was equipped with the technology to locate it.”