A 22-year-old Kelowna man is in hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries and an 18-year-old accused car thief is in custody after a head-on collision prompted the closure of a Rutland roadway on Wednesday morning in Kelowna, B.C.
Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Services said the driver of a southbound white Ford F150 pickup truck crossed the centre line and collided nearly head-on with a red Mitsubishi Outlander.
The crash occurred on Leathead Road near Mcphee Street shortly after 7:30 a.m. prompting the road closure for several hours.
Police said the driver of the car suffered significant injuries while the driver of the truck fled the scene on foot. The truck had been reported stolen from the Shannon Lake area in West Kelowna.
The vehicle’s registered owner was tracking the missing truck’s positioning through GPS. Police were patrolling for the pickup truck when they happened upon the collision.
“An area of containment was immediately established around the collision scene and police service dog Ice of the Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Section was brought in to conduct a search,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a statement.
“A suspect was taken into custody, after being tracked by the police canine into the fenced compound of a nearby commercial property.”
Police said the male suspect faces a number of potential criminal charges and remains in police custody at this time.
A portion of Leathead Road remains closed to allow a specially-trained collision reconstructionist of the RCMP Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services (ICARS) to conduct a full examination of the scene.
For anyone who witnessed this crash and has not yet spoken to police, they are urged to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at crimestoppers.net