A man wanted on several province-wide firearms-related warrants was arrested in what police are calling a ‘high-risk’ operation, but not before a pickup truck and an Emergency Response Team vehicle collided.
On Friday, Sept. 18 just before 11:30 a.m., Chase RCMP and members of the Southeast District Emergency Response Team descended on a property in the Adams Lake area.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said they were looking for wanted man Michael Luttman, who police thought was evading capture by hiding in the rural areas near Chase.
A helicopter was observed by residents in the area. O’Donaghey said an officer was aboard the RCMP Air Services helicopter to provide oversight of the operation, which was considered high risk due to Luttman’s history.
RCMP attempted to stop a pickup truck thought to have been driven off the rural property by Luttman, who allegedly failed to stop for police and attempted to flee, resulting in a collision with an ERT vehicle, O’Donaghey reported.
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The impact of that collision caused the suspects’ vehicle to roll over and back onto its wheels onto the roadway.
Emergency Response Team members then apprehended a woman passenger who was transported to another location to be medically assessed by BC Emergency Health Services. She was then taken to hospital for further medical treatment of injuries which police said were believed to be non-life-threatening.
O’Donaghey said the driver of the pickup truck, who was confirmed to be Luttman, failed to comply with police commands; however, shortly before 12:15 p.m. he was taken into custody. He also sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to hospital.
Following Luttman’s arrest, police said they located a handgun inside the damaged pickup truck.
“Officers also recovered several high-powered firearms and countless rounds of ammunition that were ejected during the crash,” O’Donaghey said in a news release.
A member of the Southeast District Emergency Response Team was transported to hospital as a precaution and later released.
If you witnessed this incident and have not yet spoken to police, you are asked to call the Chase RCMP at 250-679-3221.
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