2 arrested after Commercial Drive bank robberies, crash on Clark Drive

Vancouver police (VPD) say they have arrested a man and a woman after the pair allegedly robbed two banks on Commercial Drive.

Four civilians were sent to hospital with minor injuries in the apparent escape attempt that followed.

Police received reports of the first robbery at East 1st Ave. and Commercial Drive just after 1 p.m., followed by a second report at Broadway and Commercial about 30 minutes later, according to a VPD media release.

Investigators got a description of the suspect vehicle, and tracked the suspects to East 1st Ave. and Clark Drive, where a stolen Porsche Cayenne had crashed into several civilian vehicles, police said.

IN PHOTOS: Police arrest two after pair of reported Commercial Drive bank robberies

Officers used a pair of police vehicles to block off the stolen Porsche, and arrested its occupants.

Police said the stolen vehicle crashed into four separate civilian vehicles. Four occupants in one of the vehicles were injured as a result.

Photos from the scene show a Porsche SUV with major front-end damage boxed in by several VPD vehicles. At least one other car can be seen with its front wheels on the sidewalk and significant damage to one side.

The area was closed to traffic causing major backups on both 1st Ave. and Clark Drive.

The VPD Major Crime and Collision Investigation Units are working to piece together exactly what happened.

B.C.’s civilian police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), said it was notified of the incident but was not deployed because it did not meet their mandate of probing situations where death or serious injury occur during police action.