A suspected car thief from Abbotsford was arrested in Maple Ridge on Wednesday after a struggle with police that involved him brandishing a knife.
The incident began just after 4 p.m. An Abbotsford Police officer did a check of the licence plate on a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara in the area of Trafalgar and Horn Streets and discovered it had been stolen from Langley two days prior.
A man was in the driver’s seat and a woman was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, and a bicycle could be seen in the rear cargo area.
Members of the Abbotsford Police Department‘s (APD) crime reduction unit then covertly followed the vehicle as it travelled from Abbotsford through Mission and on to Maple Ridge.
Near 100 Avenue in Maple Ridge, the officers lost sight of the vehicle, but they then noticed the driver of the Suzuki riding a bicycle in the area.
The officers activated their emergency equipment in an attempt to stop the man, but he fled from them, first on the bike and eventually on foot.
The officers were able to catch up to him, and a struggle ensued in which the man pulled out a knife.
He was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody.
The suspect identified himself and it was determined that he was a 29-year-old from Abbotsford who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant to have his parole revoked.
Despite being initially responsive, the man began to lose consciousness and was transported to hospital, where he received overnight treatment for a suspected reaction to street drugs.
An officer involved in the arrest was also treated in hospital for multiple cuts to both arms and legs.
The man was eventually transferred into custody, and police are recommending charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000, obstruction, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, and carrying a concealed weapon.
The female passenger, a 27-year-old from Maple Ridge, was located at a Maple Ridge residence near 100 Avenue and 264 Street.
She was arrested for possession of stolen property over $5,000.
The stolen vehicle was found abandoned with the engine running in the 25700 block of 100 Avenue.
