Mission RCMP have arrested and charged a woman who was caught rummaging through someone’s car.
The car owner discovered the suspect and detained her. After taking several pictures of the suspect, the car owner let her go. The photos were then posted on Facebook.
The police were not called at the time.
Mission RCMP became aware of the Facebook post and arrested the woman.
Jada Bailey is now in custody, charged with theft under $5,000 and several counts of breach of probation.
Mission RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve Crawford said while he understands some people’s frustration regarding the police, if they don’t give officers the opportunity to deal with situations, then they could get missed.
“It was just by luck that we happened to come across it (on Facebook) and we have reached out to the people involved.”
Crawford said, legally, there is no issue with what the car owner did.
“Of course, you are entitled to drag somebody out of your car and stop the offence from occurring and they ultimately released her, so there are no issues on that point.”
However, he does advise the public to be cautious and assess the safety factor.
“You, just like the police, have no idea what’s in her pocket. Does she have a needle, a knife, a gun, pepper spray or nothing? You don’t know so you take that risk,” Crawford said.
The Facebook post received many comments from the public, some of which talked about vigilantism and that the police can’t or won’t do anything.
“I can guarantee you if you don’t call, we won’t do anything,” Crawford said.
He also said if someone is making a citizen’s arrest, the expectation is that you are just detaining them until the police arrive.
“She (the suspect) was someone we were looking for and we would have been very happy to come out.”
