A Transit Police officer was seriously injured and another driver was also sent to hospital following a traffic crash late Wednesday night between an unmarked police SUV and a sedan in Whalley.
The crash happened as the officer was responding to another officer’s request for help after Sean Trevor Cuddeford, 33, escaped police custody. Police are still looking for him.
“When officers tried to arrest the man, he immediately began resisting the arrest and fighting with officers, twice breaking free, and eventually evading arrest,” Transit Police Sergeant Clint Hampton said. “The man left behind a large hockey bag containing a Smith & Wesson 40 calibre handgun loaded with live ammunition and a rifle-style pellet gun.”
Sean Trevor Cuddeford, 33, escaped police custody. Police are still looking for him. (Transit Police photo)
The officer remains in hospital with a fractured hip and other injuries not considered to be life-threatening. He was expected to undergo a second surgery Thursday afternoon.
“This was the result of this officer responding to assist other officers who were making an arrest for a Canada-wide warrant,” Hampton said. “The details of the motor vehicle incident, Surrey will have to speak to.”
The crash happened at 128th Street and 93rd Avenue in Cedar Hills shortly before 11 p.m., sending the sedan onto a sidewalk and the police SUV into a fence at a townhouse complex. Police said the woman driving the sedan was not seriously injured.
**Update #MVTPMediaRelease – Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Sean Trevor Cuddeford is asked to contact Transit Police at 604.515.8300 or text us using the code 87.77.77. https://t.co/6SqqPJ6WVt pic.twitter.com/w41iranyiV
— Sgt. Clint Hampton (@SgtCHampton) November 5, 2020
Surrey Mounties are investigating what exactly led to the crash.
“Because it’s one of our officers Surrey is investigating just so that it’s unbiased and transparent,” Hampton said.
Surrey RCMP Corporal Elenore Sturko said the police SUV “pushed several feet” through the fence of the townhouse complex.
“We’re the lead investigators on the traffic portion,” she said. “From what I understand is that citizens actually went to help the officer too, so that’s pretty nice.”
Transit Police say Cuddeford, of no fixed address, is “well known to police” and was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for break-and-enter but police expect to recommend more charges including escaping lawful custody as well as multiple firearms charges.
Transit Police said they tried to arrest the suspect at about 10:50 p.m. Wednesday at the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station but he got away.
Police ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Sean Trevor Cuddeford to contact the Transit Police at 604.515.8300 or text them using the code 87.77.77.
Meantime, Transit Police Chief Dave Jones said, “Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this collision.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook and follow Tom on Twitter
