RCMP in Terrace, B.C., got help from a Conservation Officer Service (COS) drone as they nabbed a suspect accused of crashing into police cruisers and fleeing officers Friday.
Police say they responded to a report of a possibly impaired driver in a Ford truck around 9:15 a.m.
Officers quickly located the truck on Highway 16, but the driver ended up crashing into two police cruisers and a civilian vehicle before finally stopping. No one was hurt in the collisions.
The driver then fled the crash scene and was pursued by police on foot onto Ferry Island.
That’s when the COS drone was deployed, which helped officers and police dogs locate and arrest the suspect after a “rigorous search,” RCMP said in a statement.
Highway 16 was closed in the area for an hour and a half while police investigated. A youth found in the truck was arrested while the police chase was happening.
Buddy Douglas Shanoss of Hazleton is facing charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, possession of stolen property, flight from police, obstruction, driving while prohibited, dangerous driving, and possession of property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000.
The youth, who has not been named, is also facing a charge of possession of stolen property.
RCMP would not say what the stolen property in question was.
The COS said it has drones in every region of the province to help with investigative work and called the Terrace incident “a great example of agencies coming together to fight crime.”
Shanoss is due to appear in court in Terrace on Dec. 10.