Varsity Estates carjacking suspect steals, destroys 2 trucks

CALGARY – An early morning carjacking in Calgary’s Varsity Estates neighbourhood ended with a suspect in custody facing charges of theft and dangerous driving.

Police say a Ford F150 pickup truck was stolen around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday. The truck had a GPS device inside, and police used the HAWCS helicopter to track it. The thief then ditched the truck and stole a Chevrolet Avalanche, forcing its driver out of the vehicle.

“He removed this person as they were getting out of their vehicle, forced himself inside of the Avalanche, and left the area at a high rate of speed,” said Calgary Police Staff Sgt. Jim Lines.

Police say the suspect caused “quite a bit of city property damage” including a fire hydrant that was run over. Both stolen vehicles were destroyed—one sideswiped and the other T-boned.

“Due to the heightened threat of the way he was driving and his high rate of speed, our units were able to intercept him here in the parking lot of the Canadian Tire,” said Lines, referring to the store location on Dalton Drive in the northwest community of Dalhousie.

Police are working to calculate the cost of damages to the destroyed vehicles, but say luckily no one was hurt.

In a separate incident early Tuesday morning, police say a third truck was stolen in northeast Calgary. Police say someone left a company vehicle running in a Tim Hortons parking lot with the keys in it while he went inside to grab a coffee. The thief jumped into the cab and took off with the truck; police say it was eventually recovered.

The three stolen vehicle incidents come a day after police released data on the number of “key of convenience” thefts—when a key is left in the ignition of a running vehicle, in the console or under a floor mat of the car or inside an unlocked garage, for example.

In January 2015, 137 vehicle thefts involving the vehicle’s own key were reported to police, compared to only 73 reported cases in January 2014, said CPS in a Monday release.

“These crimes are not specific to any one area of the city, and are typically classified as crimes of opportunity,” said the statement. “An increase in preventable crime such as this is hugely concerning to the Service.”

Police are reminding drivers to:

• Keep your keys in a secure location, including spare keys. Avoid leaving keys in or around your vehicle.
• Never leave your car unattended while the keys are in the ignition.
• Report any suspicious activity to police immediately by calling 403-266-1234, or 9-1-1 in an emergency.