Three trucks stolen in crime spree that zigzagged across the city

CALGARY – After allegedly stealing three trucks in the span of an hour while a police helicopter flew overhead, a Calgary man was arrested early Sunday near Fish Creek Provincial Park.

“He was on a bit of a spree,” said duty inspector Paul Stacey.

Police were alerted just before 3 a.m. after an employee at a construction company at Glenmore Trail and Blackfoot Trail S.E. spotted someone driving off with a truck pulling a trailer transporting a mini-bobcat.

Stacey said the employee knew no one was supposed to be handling that equipment at that time of night, so he contacted police, who quickly got into play.

A police helicopter tracked the truck near Deerfoot Trail and Peigan Trail at which point the driver suddenly abandoned the vehicle, ran to a nearby locked compound and scaled the fence.

Once inside, he broke into a utility truck by smashing a side window, hopped in, and drove off the lot by crashing through the compound’s gates, Stacey said.

The driver then made his way to the northwest part of the city where he dumped the truck in a residential side street, jumped into a parked Ford pickup truck, and in about a minute’s time, was able to get the vehicle started.

Stacey said the helicopter continued to watch from above, following the truck to the southwest, down to the south end of Elbow Drive leading into Fish Creek Provincial Park.

The driver dumped the truck and was eventually arrested after 4 a.m. on Canyon Meadows Drive.

The 32-year-old man, who is known to police, is now facing charges, said Stacey.

“He is clearly skilled at stealing vehicles,” he said. “We don’t know what his thought process was, what he intended on doing with these vehicles.”

Stacey said the trucks were likely left with internal damage. He added the public was never in danger during the hour-long spree.