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Vernon police nab 3 after stolen car crashes

In attempts to evade police, suspects drove around block and crashed into parked car on 34th Street
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Vernon North Okanagan RCMP arrested three people Sept. 2, 2020, after the suspects in a stolen vehicle evaded police and crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle on 34th Street. (Mark McMahon - Contributed)

Three people are in custody after attempting to flee police in a stolen vehicle before crashing into a parked vehicle Wednesday afternoon.

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP’s Downtown Enforcement Unit was on a routine patrol Sept. 2 around 1:20 p.m. when the officer noticed a suspicious vehicle parked at a business in the 2400 block of 34th Street.

When the officer pulled up to the vehicle, he recognized it as a stolen vehicle reported in a neighbouring jurisdiction.

The vehicle fled the parking lot when the driver spotted the marked police car.

The officer, who recognized the driver, didn’t pursue the vehicle, but instead advised other officers working the incident.

“As our officer was on the radio updating other units, he heard a noise that sounded like a collision,” media relations officer Cpl. Tania Finn said.

The officer reported the vehicle had circled the block and collided with an unoccupied vehicle parked along 34th Street.

Before police arrived on scene, two occupants fled the vehicle.

A 28-year-old woman linked to the vehicle was taken into custody and a 43-year-old man was arrested within a block of the incident.

The Police Dog Service Unit attended to sniff out a second suspect, a 41-year-old man. He was taken into custody in a nearby residential area without incident.

There are no reports of injuries as a result of the collision.

All three in custody are from the Vernon area and are known to police. The investigation is ongoing.

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@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com

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