by Monique Tamminga, Black Press
A suspect is wanted in connection to the theft of three vehicles on March 2 and a carjacking in Abbotsford.
At about 3:40 p.m. that day, Langley RCMP received a 911 call from the owner of a F-350 pickup truck who said he had interrupted someone trying to steal his vehicle at 272 Street and 28 Avenue in Aldergrove.
The owner told 911 operators he jumped into the box of his truck just as the suspect drove off with it.
The suspect driver allegedly attempted to shake the owner off the truck by driving erratically.
The driver then stepped on the brakes and the owner went through the rear window from the box of the truck, hitting his head on the dashboard and suffering relatively minor injuries, according to police.
The suspect then jumped out of the truck, just six blocks away from where he originally stole it.
He managed to immediately pick up another Ford F-350, which ended up being the same truck that police had pursued earlier that morning after it had originally been stolen in Surrey in the area of 126 Street and 88 Avenue. The driver in that theft had managed to evade police.
But the thief's actions didn't stop there.
The Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) was alerted that the stolen truck they had located in Surrey earlier was spotted travelling east on Fraser Highway in Langley towards Abbotsford.
As IMPACT investigators made their way, Abbotsford Police received a call from a victim of an alleged carjacking incident in the parking lot of the University of the Fraser Valley.
The suspect was able to leave the area in the stolen Hyundai Santa Fe.
Minor injuries were sustained by the owner of that vehicle, which was recovered shortly after in the downtown core of Abbotsford. The original F-350 stolen from Surrey was recovered in the university parking lot.
“Early indications of our investigation are suggesting that the three incidents appear to be related,” said Insp. Peter Jadis, the officer in charge of IMPACT. “We are working very closely with both Langley RCMP and Abbotsford Police Department to find those suspects responsible for these crimes.”
IMPACT is appealing to witnesses of any of the three crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.