One man in custody and one escaped after police pursue stolen tow truck across North Shuswap

Photo: Castanet file photo

Police pursued a stolen tow truck across the North Shuswap before deploying a spike belt and apprehending a suspect Wednesday. However, a second suspect escaped on foot. Chase RCMP attempted to retrieve a stolen tow truck with a pickup still attached after a brazen early morning theft.

Staff Sgt. Barry Kennedy said the incident took place Wednesday morning. “On Jan.

3, at 5 a.m., Chase RCMP were advised of a theft of a tow truck and the pick up truck which was still on the truck from a previous towing incident earlier in the night,” Kennedy said. “The two suspects were unable to remove the pick up truck from the tow truck, so they decided to steal the tow truck with the pickup still on it.” Kennedy said a neighbour woke when the truck crashed through a metal gate.

“This alerted a neighbour, who then jumped into their personal vehicle and began following the stolen tow truck. When the tow truck attempted to smash into the witnesses’ vehicle, the witness stopped following and alerted police to the last known location of the tow truck,” he said. Mounties said freshly fallen snow initially let them track the tow truck to Turtle Valley but they lost the tracks once the truck reached wet pavement on Squillax Anglemont Rd.

“After conducting more patrols, police received further information that the tow truck had turned on to the 690 Forest Service Road, which was not plowed and had received a lot of recent snow,” said Kennedy. “Police were able to follow the tire impressions in the snow for approximately 30 kms when they located the stolen tow truck stopped on the road.” Police approached the vehicle and attempted to apprehend the occupants, but they fled in the tow truck.

Mounties followed the truck to the Seymour Arm Forest Service Road where the tow truck turned west and headed towards Anglemont. “During this trek, the tow truck attempted, on two occasions, to reverse into the police vehicle to disable it but police were able to avoid a collision,” Kennedy said, adding police were finally able to end the pursuit with the use of a spike belt. “The spike belt was successfully deployed near Talana Bay on Squilax Anglemont Road, deflating all six of the tow truck tires.

The tow truck slowed to a stop and drove into the ditch, where two males fled from the tow truck.” “Police were able to contain the suspects in a gravel pit area and one male was taken into custody while the second male managed to flee.” RCMP have identified the arrested man as 44-year-old William Davis Copping, of Chase.

Copping has been charged with theft over £5,000, possession of stolen property over £5,000 and evading police. Kennedy said more charges are expected to be filed. Copping was released from custody following a bail hearing with numerous conditions and he is expected to appear in court in Kamloops on Jan.

8.