Man Charged in Semi Shooting Spree
Prince George, B.C.- A man remains in custody and is facing at least one charge in connection with the incident on the weekend which saw one person wounded and several semi’s on highways 16 and 97 being shot at.
RCMP have released more details on the arrest which took place in the Chilliwack area on Saturday .
The incident started with reports semis travelling highways 16 and 97 had been fired at. Some vehicles sustained damage, and police issued a call for the public’s assistance in locating a suspect vehicle, described as a 2009, blue Dodge Caliber with an Ontario License plate.
Around 3:30 Saturday afternoon, Chilliwack RCMP received a report that a man had allegedly been shot in the area of the Ford Mountain Forest Road. The victim had fled the suspect and managed to find help when he came upon Canadian Forces personnel working at a range on Chilliwack Lake Road. Persons in attendance including military police and reservists provided first aid to the victim who was then airlifted to a Lower Mainland hospital. Due to the exceptional efforts of all first responders and medical staff, the 39-year-old Chilliwack resident survived and has non-life threatening injuries. He remains in hospital.
Given the new information about the Chilliwack shooting and that the suspect was believed to be armed and dangerous, police requested the assistance of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team (ERT), the Integrated Police Dog Service, and Air Services. An extensive ground and air search of the area was conducted.
Members of the Integrated Police Dog Service and the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, who were nearby, proceeded on foot up the Ford Mountain Forest Service Road through steep terrain to locate the suspect. At approximately 5:10 pm, they located the suspect and took him into custody without further incident. The man’s vehicle was located nearby.
“This proved to be an extremely fluid and fast-evolving situation. Public safety was our priority. To ensure the safe apprehension of the suspect, we engaged all specialized resources available and ensured all police personnel had what they needed. We cannot underestimate the role the quick coordination of resources and timely sharing of information had on the resolution of this incident” says C/Supt. Dave Attfield, Acting Criminal Operations Officers – Core Policing.
The man is currently facing one charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, with additional charges being considered. Discussions are underway with Crown Counsel and the male has been remanded in custody pending a court appearance on March 29th. His name has not yet been released.
North District RCMP Major Crime Unit are continuing to investigate and coordinate all instances of shots fired at commercial and personal vehicles. Police are asking anyone who may have been the victim of a suspicious incident allegedly involving the suspect or suspect vehicle described above to contact their local police.
Investigators with the Chilliwack Serious Crime Unit are continuing their investigation of the incident that occurred in the Ford Mountains Forrest Service Road area. All investigative efforts will also look at the suspect’s movements prior to March 25 and possible motivations.
Comments
Lucky for him he gave himself up. Lucky for the victim CF were training, lucky he didn’t hit one of our truckers.
Thankyou CF and RCMP, well done!
At highway speeds hitting even a radiator is like a split second from hitting the driver. He should be charged with attempted murder for how ever many trucks he shot at. Lock him up for life as the poster boy of what happens to people like this. More likely he will be out in a year because he had some ‘mental’ issues….
As for the provincial policing response… I think this is worthy of an inquiry. How does a guy start shooting at trucks in Houston and drive a good 8-10 hours shooting at vehicles all down the highway? Did they not pick up the pattern of what direction he was heading? Did they fail to coordinate with detachments further down the highway in real time, and is this a result of moving the dispatch for 911 down to the Lower Mainland for cost savings… Did they not realize all these incidents in various communities tied together to the highway? How come they couldn’t get a road block set up to flush him out long before he reached the Lower Mainland?
Was he heading for the border to cross on foot? I pick blackberries in that area when we pass through in the summer and the border is right there. It would be nothing to walk right across the border if he was trying to get away… After driving over a thousand kilometres shoting the place up.
I agree attempted murder charges should be brought to bear for every truck he shot at. We don’t know how many he shot at and didn’t hit.
Did this guy get one too many rock chips from the 10000 Lomak trucks that roam these highways?
Comments for this article are closed.