Stolen Vehicle Stopped Spike Belt Used

Spike Belt Stops Fleeing Driver

A stolen vehicle spotted driving erratically late Tuesday night was stopped only after the deployment of two spike belts by Nanaimo RCMP.

The vehicle in question, an older model Dodge Ram pickup was spotted driving south along Haliburton St at approximately 11 pm. When the plate was run, the officer realized it had been stolen from the Brooks Landing Mall earlier in the day. The attending officer attempted to stop it but the driver and lone occupant of the vehicle had other plans and sped off reaching speeds of 100 kilometers per hour.

Following from a distance the attending officer watched as the driver ran a red light at Nicol and Needham St,pulled several U turns and dangerously cut between three vehicles traveling in front of him.

Other officers soon joined in and the first of two spike belts was deployed at the intersection of Nicol St and Needham. It hit its mark effectively flattening two of the vehicles tires. The driver however continued on for several more kilometers until a second belt was deployed and this time the remaining tires were taken out causing the driver to loose control and soon put the vehicle into an adjacent ditch near the intersection of Victoria Rd and Highway 19A.

Officers quickly converged on the vehicle and arrested an uninjured 27 year old male. The male was taken into custody and appeared before a Nanaimo Provincial court judge this morning.

Avery Richard MCGUIRE, age 27 of no fixed address from the Lower Mainland was remanded by consent until July 22.He was charged with Dangerous Driving ,Cause Pursuit, Possession of Stolen Property ,Breach of Probation and Possession of a Controlled Substance. The drug charge stemmed from a small quantity of crack cocaine found on his person when arrested.

Members also reported finding a hand written note on MCGUIRE. The note appeared to be one that could be used in a bank robbery. Members are currently contacting police agencies across the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island to see if there have been any recent robberies and if MCGUIRE fits the description of persons involved.

“Only the collective and quick response by Nanaimo RCMP and the deployment of spike belts in a safe and efficient manner brought this situation to a successful conclusion and put another criminal behind bars” said Constable Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP.