Arresting Stories - First car chase with a stolen vehicle

It was Thanksgiving Long Weekend during dinner time on a clear and sunny day. I was just about to get off shift and was heading back to the police station when my spidey-senses began to tingle.

I noticed an SUV driving towards me. It was particularly noticeable as I had recalled on our watch boards that the SUV was responsible for many 'gas and dashes' throughout the city. I queried the license plate and it returned as STOLEN on my computer screen. I quickly made a u-turn and pursued the SUV. It was obvious that the driver was aware of my presence as he immediately turned off from the main road into a residential complex. I called for back up. Just then, I found myself face to face with the stolen SUV. It was cornered at the end of a cul-de-sac and slowly began to pull towards me. I attempted to delay the driver so that my back up could arrive. However, before I could delay any further, the driver knew exactly what was going on and he immediately accelerated past my car. I turned on my lights and sirens and chased after the stolen vehicle driver. My adrenaline shot up and I was engaged whole-heartedly in chasing after my bad guy.

The driver drove through a shopping mall parking lot, went through some red lights, then circled a residential area for almost ten minutes. Speeds averaged 60 to 70 km/hr throughout the residential areas – it seemed the driver was lost and just continued to circle the same roads. I had always anticipated car chases to be at high speeds, but this chase never exceeded 90 km/hr.

At one point, the driver drove up onto a lawn and in between two houses, then entered a green belt. As he circled the neighbourhood, he had driven past a group of residents who were taking a walk. The second time the driver drove past the same group of people, I was astonished to witness the group stepping off the curb, yelling and screaming at the driver to “stop!”

Seven minutes into my car chase, another police member arrived in the area. That member attempted to deploy a stop-stick (an instrument used to puncture the tires) in front of the driver’s path. Unfortunately he didn’t have enough time to deploy the stop-stick. Instead, that member joined the car chase. Shortly after the nine minute mark, my partner and I managed to squeeze the driver towards the curb and we boxed the vehicle into a parked car.

The driver was persistent on running – as I came out of my car I noticed him climbing out of the driver’s seat and sliding over to the passenger side door, attempting to escape. By then, there were at least five police members swarming around the stolen vehicle. He had no chance of escape.

The driver was then successfully taken into the custody. After an examination, it was discovered that a pop can had slid underneath the accelerator in the stolen vehicle, which prevented the driver from going any faster than 90 km/hr.

Edmonton Police Service Constable