Three people have been arrested after what police are calling an alleged weekend ‘crime spree’ that began in Calgary and was ended by Hope RCMP with the help of spike belts along Highway 1 near Hunter Creek.
The incident started on Sunday (May 17) when a man and woman allegedly assaulted a male driver in Calgary before taking his vehicle.
Police believe the pair travelled over the provincial border and it was 12 hours later when Kamloops RCMP were alerted to reports of shoplifters, believed to be the same man and woman, at a gas station in the city. Another man was now with them police said.
Officers “flooded the area and located the vehicle” but the suspects fled the scene, RCMP said in a news release.
The vehicle made its way past officers in Merritt, traveling at high speeds south on Highway 5 towards Hope.
Hope RCMP brought out reinforcements to stop the driver – deploying a spike belt that managed to deflate two tires, but weren’t enough to stop the vehicle from continuing along Highway 1.
That’s when the driver slowed to make a U-turn, police said, and a woman jumped out of the vehicle before officers arrested her.
Meanwhile, another spike belt managed to stop the vehicle on the Hunter Creek Bridge. The two men were then arrested, police stated.
Jose Alejandro Sandoval-Barillas, 29, of Calgary, is facing a number of charges, including robbery and flight from police, as well as theft-related charges.
Kisha Rose Ann Chickness, 23, also from Calgary, has been charged with robbery and possession of stolen property, as well as failing to comply with a release order.
The third person involved, a 29-year-old man, was released without charges. Police do not release names of suspects unless charges are approved by Crown Counsel.
We are working closely with the Calgary Police Service to help advance the robbery investigation in Alberta along with the flight from police, shoplifting and possession of stolen goods investigations here in British Columbia,
Staff-Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said.
This type of file really demonstrates that crime has no borders but with the interoperability of police agencies, even across provinces, neither do police.
emelie.peacock@hopestandard.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
