One man is in custody and facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing and then crashing a pickup truck in Nanaimo.
The incident happened Monday, May 22, after a homeowner reported a Dodge pickup with a camper had been stolen from his home near Bowen Park shortly after 5 p.m.
Police responding to the address spotted the truck going northbound on Wakesiah Avenue and not long afterward, the vehicle was discovered flipped on its side at the intersection of Bowen Road and Howard Avenue. The person who had been driving the truck was located and arrested, said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson.
Police also found a CO2-powered replica firearm in the truck, which belonged to the truck’s owner.
“Further investigation noted that the individual in the truck was a prohibited driver and he was not to possess weapons of any kind,” O’Brien said. “The handgun was actually stolen from inside the victim’s house. He had inadvertently left the side door of his house open when he went out for groceries. He came back and noticed there was a hit on his security system and the keys to his truck were stolen and the vehicle had been taken from his driveway.”
The 26-year-old male suspect, from the Victoria area, remains in custody and is facing charges that include theft over $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle, driving while prohibited, and breach of conditions of his release from previous charges for possession of the replica firearm. He was scheduled to appear in provincial court in Nanaimo on Tuesday, May 23.
The pickup and camper did not hit any other vehicles when it crashed. No injuries were reported from the incident.
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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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