A dangerous driver was stopped today when police used a spike belt.
At 9:59 a.m., the Kelowna RCMP received a report of a man who appeared to be asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle with the engine running in the Wilden area, said RCMP in a news release.
A Kelowna RCMP member approached the driver side of the vehicle and knocked on the window to wake the driver. The driver did not comply with the police request to shut off the engine and he put the car in drive and began driving, said the news release.
While fleeing the scene, the police officer was hit with the driver side of the vehicle and suffered non-life threatening injuries. The driver did not stop after hitting the police officer, said the release.
The vehicle was intercepted by Lake Country members, as it entered Lake Country. The male driver continued driving and after a 10-minute pursuit that included the deployment of a spike belt, the driver drove over the spike belt, which in turn deflated some of the vehicle tires.
The driver continued driving and collided with a marked police vehicle. The driver ended up in a ditch however, he was able to flee on foot, but after a short foot pursuit into the bush, the driver was apprehended and arrested.
The driver was cleared medically and he will attend court and likely face charges of dangerous driving, fleeing from police and assaulting a police officer, among others.
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