Following a Dec. 31 police pursuit in downtown Salmon Arm that was cut short by a single-vehicle crash, the man behind the wheel of the fleeing vehicle is expected to face charges.
A Volvo sedan crashed into a ditch at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street SE that Thursday afternoon after it was seen speeding down Fifth Avenue with the police in pursuit.
According to RCMP Cpl. Mike Wasylenki, an officer from the Revelstoke highway patrol attempted to stop the vehicle for a licence and sobriety check when it sped off eastbound down Fifth Avenue. Wasylenki said the vehicle crashed within a minute of the pursuit beginning.
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Two paramedics and a police officer appeared to be talking to someone in the back of a police vehicle following the crash. Wasylenki said no one, including the driver, was injured in the incident.
Police officers could be seen searching the back seat and trunk of the Volvo but Wasylenki said nothing relevant to the charges police are recommending was found.
The driver of the vehicle, a 35-year-old Vernon resident, was arrested at the scene and Wasylenki said criminal charges of dangerous driving and failing to stop are being recommended.
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A Volvo crashed into the far side of the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street SE about 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. The vehicle was seen travelling fast up Fifth Avenue followed by a police vehicle prior to the crash. (Jim Elliot - Salmon Arm Observer)
