Six adults have been arrested following an incident involving a stolen vehicle that spanned multiple police jurisdictions. The incident began early this morning in the Comox Valley and concluded south of Nanaimo, near the Nanaimo airport.

Just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2,  Comox Valley RCMP responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in a rural area near Comox Lake. When officers engaged with the vehicle, the driver allegedly attempted to flee and, in doing so, several police vehicles were damaged.

An alert was issued to surrounding detachments, and RCMP Air Services was engaged to monitor the suspect vehicle as it proceeded southbound along Highway 19A. At approximately 9 a.m., with assistance from the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Police Dog Services (PDS), the stolen truck and its occupants were located and arrested without incident. Five were arrested at scene while a sixth person was later located and arrested.

Two stolen vehicles were subsequently located. Six individuals (3 men and 3 women) were arrested. Three were later released unconditionally, while the three were held in custody overnight, and are expected to make an appearance in Nanaimo Provincial Court on Wednesday June 3. 

There were no reported injuries, and the investigation is ongoing.

“This was a fine example of a coordinated police response across multiple jurisdictions,” said Inspector Donovan Tait, Operations Officer for the Nanaimo RCMP. Thanks to timely information-sharing from our Operational Communications Center, and the support of Island District RCMP Air Services helicopter, the Emergency Response Team, and Police Dog Service teams, officers were able to safely track, locate and arrest the individuals involved. Their professionalism and collaboration ensured this situation was brought to a conclusion quickly and without injury to the public or police.”