A prolific offender has been arrested at a Vancouver park after stealing a police vehicle and driving erratically near a playground.
In a video shared with Glacier Media, a Vancouver Police Department (VPD) cruiser can be seen driving in circles nearby a busy playground on Sunday, Oct. 6, around 11 a.m.
Robert Farr was walking his dog around Templeton Park when he spotted the driver in the police vehicle driving at an excessive speed nearby.
"I saw a VPD SUV speeding through a block over,” he says. "It ramped over speed bumps and jumped a curb into the new running track and field by the kids' playground.”
Sgt. Steve Addison says before the incident officers were flagged down near East Hastings and Semlin Drive for a woman in distress at 10:45 a.m.
As police officers stepped out of the vehicle to assist the woman, the suspect got into the driver’s seat. The man stole the police vehicle and drove it toward a group of families at Templeton Park.
“It is hard to overstate how dangerous this behaviour was,” says Addison.
Police say the suspect drove up on the grass field, near where young families were gathering at a playground and where kids were playing soccer.
In the video, a child can be heard yelling "go away" as police arrive on the scene.
“[It was] quite scary. Parents and kids [were] scrambling for cover,” says Farr.
Caregivers in the area gathered all the children quickly and were helped by staff at the nearby community centre.
Police officers were on scene three minutes after the car was stolen.
A K9 officer with the VPD can be seen driving to the park and intervening in the stolen vehicle. The police dog and officer arrested the man while other police officers arrived.
Vancouver police say the 41-year-old suspect is a prolific offender with more than 50 criminal convictions. Police are recommending multiple charges of theft, possession of stolen property and driving offences.
Addison says one person was injured during the incident and was nearly struck head-on by the vehicle. He suffered minor injuries and went to the hospital.
The suspect was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“We hope this person recovers quickly, and we’re thankful nobody else was seriously injured,” says Addison.
“This reckless and criminal behaviour could have killed or seriously injured innocent people. We are grateful to the VPD officers and the police service dog that responded immediately to stop this imminent public safety threat,” adds Addison.
