Man disappears into woods after car chase with Kelowna RCMP

A Kelowna cop on the scene of a car crash yesterday witnessed a hit-and-run which led to a man hunt in the woods.

The officer was investigating an unrelated collision at the intersection of Springfield Road and Durin Road at around 5:11 p.m. yesterday, Aug. 16, when he saw a green hatchback smashed into a school bus with no passengers, according to an RCMP press release. The bus driver was not injured.

The officer told the driver of the hatchback to pull over on the side of the road, however he fled westbound at a high rate of speed instead of complying.

A short time later the suspect vehicle was spotted again by officers, who tried to safely stop the vehicle. But, after a female passenger got out of the vehicle, the hatchback fled from police again.

The hatchback struck a cop car and the lady who was exiting the vehicle as it fled. The passenger was not injured. She was arrested but released at the scene.

Next, witnesses spotted the hatchback at the 2000 Block of Loseth Drive. A single male occupant was seen leaving the vehicle and running southwest into the Kirschner Mountain forest.

Multiple officers, a police dog, air support along with members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C. combed the woods but were unable to locate the suspect.

“We take these incidents extremely seriously and would like to reassure the public that we will be working diligently to identify the driver, in order to hold him accountable for his actions,” Sgt. Mark Booth said in the release.

It turns out the license plate on the hatchback did not match the vehicle, which is now sitting in the impound lot.

Witnesses or anyone with dash camera video is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.

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