A vehicle possibly tied to an alleged shooting in West Kelowna fled police last night and was found abandoned.
On Jan. 14 at 8:30 p.m. RCMP in West Kelowna spotted a White SUV that matched the description of a suspected vehicle in an alleged shooting. The officer, while crossing William Bennett Bridge, tried to stop the vehicle which fled at a high rate of speed.
Police deployed a spike belt on the bridge to stop the vehicle but were unsuccessful.
The incident on the bridge happened shortly after RCMP responded to Ross Road for reports of possible gunfire.
READ MORE: West Kelowna RCMP investigating reports of gunfire
The driver continued to flee from police, who shortly after called off their pursuit, “in the interest of public safety.”
Officers patrolled surrounding areas and the suspect vehicle was located abandoned on McKenzie Road. RCMP police dog services searched the area, but the driver was not located.
“Our investigation later determined that this vehicle was not involved in the incident in West Kelowna, and all indications are that this driver was fleeing from police for other unknown and unrelated reasons,” said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
“Regardless, the behaviour of this driver was extremely dangerous and put everyone at risk. We are now treating this as a separate criminal investigation and are working to identify the driver.”
The vehicle has been seized as part of an ongoing investigation.
Those with information are asked to contact Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net.
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