An Abbotsford man is facing five criminal charges after a wild chase in Langley that included the attempted carjacking of a moving semi truck on the Trans Canada Highway.
Langley RCMP were alerted when residents at the end of a dead-end street called about a crash at about 5:20 p.m. on Friday, April 16.
A tow truck had high-centered at the end of the road after a high-speed crash. The air bags had deployed and the truck had suffered significant damage, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
The driver got out and was trying to get the vehicle, which later turned out to have been stolen in Surrey, unstuck by using the winch.
When police turned up, the suspect ran away, in the direction of Highway One.
Within minutes more 9-1-1 calls were coming in, this time about a man walking eastbound in the westbound lanes of the highway.
“It was reported the male was attempting to stop vehicles in an attempt to get a ride,” Largy said.
The suspect eventually climbed onto a semi truck and tried to haul the driver out, but the driver fought back.
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The suspect then grabbed some items from inside the truck and ran off with them.
When the driver stopped his truck and chased the suspect, the suspect looped back to the truck and again tried to steal it, resulting in another scuffle between the suspect and the driver.
At this point, the suspect simply climbed up into the space between the truck and the trailer.
The truck driver got back into his cab and called the police – while driving – until the police arrived.
The suspect scampered again, leading to a foot chase, this time ending with the suspect’s capture.
The chaos caused a major traffic slowdown on the highway during the evening rush hour.
Mathew Allan Nielsen, a 31-year-old Abbotsford man, has now been charged with assault, two counts of robbery, possession of stolen property, and two counts of theft of an automobile.
He was released awaiting a court appearance set for May 17.
Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
