Two North Vancouver RCMP officers are on light duty after sustaining “serious” injuries in an altercation involving a hit-and-run suspect.
At around 1 a.m. last Wednesday (April 17), police were called to a collision on the 2300 block of Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver.
Witnesses reported seeing the driver of a white Dodge Ram pickup truck slam into a tree and then flee the scene, leaving his damaged truck and the mangled tree on the roadway.
As some RCMP officers arrived at the collision, others went to the address of the truck’s registered owner nearby in an attempt to intercept the driver, police said in a statement.
While at the residence, officers noticed that the passenger of an arriving vehicle matched the description of the hit-and-run driver. But when police conducted a traffic stop on that vehicle – a white sedan – the passenger exited the vehicle, attempting to flee and resist arrest, RCMP said.
“As the passenger continued to resist arrest, another man allegedly exited a nearby residence and tackled an arresting officer,” police said.
More officers arrived as a brief struggle ensued. But the donnybrook didn’t end there.
During the effort to gain control of the scene, two officers were allegedly assaulted, sustaining “serious” but non-life-threatening injuries, according to RCMP.
Both the hit-and-run suspect and the man from the house were arrested. North Vancouver RCMP spokesperson Const. Mansoor Sahak said the suspected truck driver faces potential charges for failing to remain at the scene of the incident and resisting arrest. The other suspect faces potential charges of assault and obstruction.
Meanwhile, the driver of the white sedan was issued an immediate roadside prohibition for failing to provide a breath sample, as officers believed he was impaired.
Police believe all the men knew each other, but that no other criminality was involved, Sahak said.
It’s bad enough that someone would flee the scene of an accident, but attempting to escape from police only made things worse, Sahak said.
“Obviously these individuals dug a hole for themselves as they continued to make bad decisions,” he said. “Now we have two officers on light duty as a result of these careless actions.”
Sahak said he couldn’t specify the officers’ injuries for privacy reasons.
Now, police are asking anyone who was driving on Dollarton Highway that night to come forward with dashcam footage.
“That dashcam could hold crucial evidence to further the hit-and-run investigation,” Sahak said.
Witnesses are asked to call North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311 and quote file 24-7319.
