Kelowna RCMP impound speeding, then abandoned vehicle; investigation underway

A white SUV has been impounded in Kelowna following a police chase on Thursday night.

In a press release, Kelowna RCMP say an officer on patrol spotted the white SUV along the W.R. Bennett Bridge, and that it matched the description of a vehicle in a shots-fired incident in West Kelowna at roughly the same time.

Ultimately, that white SUV was not linked to the shots-fired incident, but the driver still sped away from police.

“Officers at the north end of the bridge deployed a spike belt in an attempt to stop it,” Kelowna RCMP said of the 8:30 p.m. incident.

“The vehicle continued to flee from police and a short time later, RCMP terminated the pursuit in the interests of public safety. “

The vehicle was later found abandoned on McKenzie Road, though the driver was not located despite a search that involved police dog services.

“Our investigation later determined that this vehicle was not involved in the incident in West Kelowna, and all indications are that this driver was fleeing from police for other unknown and unrelated reasons,” said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy.

“Regardless, the behaviour of this driver was extremely dangerous and put everyone at risk. We are now treating this as a separate criminal investigation and are working to identify the driver.”

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Police say the vehicle has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.

If you have any information regarding this incident, you are asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.