Penticton RCMP are pursuing charges against 36-year-old Jesse William Shawcross in the alleged car-jacking of several vehicles in September.
On Sept. 19, Shawcross allegedly flagged down two vehicles along Eastside Road in Penticton and threatened to use a firearm. One vehicle was stolen, and the victims, who were not physically harmed, called 9-1-1.
Five days later, Shawcross was believed to have stolen a truck from Oliver, RCMP explained in a release about the events leading up to Shawcross’s arrest.
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Officers in Penticton observed the stolen truck near the 1000 block of Eckhardt Ave. West.
The Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU), along with front-line officers, converged into the area.
Officers located the truck in a nearby parking lot. Once officers entered into the parking lot, they confirmed the driver to be Shawcross.
Shawcross, seeing officers moving in, allegedly attempted to evade them by crashing through the parking lot, damaging several parked cars and ultimately causing the truck to be inoperable.
He then fled on foot, with officers giving chase across Eckhardt Ave., where Shawcross resisted violently as several officers arrested him.
At the time of his arrest, RCMP were able to charge him with 11 offences, but were not in a position at that time to lay additional charges directly linking him to the robberies.
RCMP further explained that once Shawcross was in custody, the General Investigation Section was able to successfully gather further evidence linking him to those crimes.
On Dec. 30, an additional 13 charges were laid against Shawcross, including robbery with a firearm.
“Shawcross has remained in custody following his arrest on Sept. 24, however necessary evidence linking him to the car-jacking was only recently confirmed,” said RCMP Const. James Grandy in a release on Dec. 31.
“Following a thorough investigation, our General Investigative Section submitted a detailed report to the BC Prosecution Service, recommending these additional charges against Shawcross,” said Grandy.
Shawcross has been charged with the following:
- Theft of five vehicles
- Flight from police
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Resisting arrest
- Assault with a weapon
- Break and enter
- Uttering threats
- Driving while prohibited
- Possessing a controlled substance
- Possession of stolen property
- Failing to comply with a probation order
- Robbery with a firearm x2
Grandy explained that local RCMP officers took the safety of their communities into “paramount consideration” while using all available resources during their search for the accused.
“Right from the beginning, our members worked tirelessly to try and locate and bring this crime spree to a safe and accountable resolve,” he said. “These events employed a number of RCMP resources including the RCMP helicopter, police dog services, plainclothes and uniformed officers from several Detachments within the South Okanagan.”
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