SUNDRE — The owner of a pickup stopped a would-be vehicle thief in his tracks, but not before the truck ended up crashing into a dumpster, sending the suspect fleeing the scene on foot.
On Sunday, Jan. 30 at about 8 p.m., a male suspect tried to steal the truck, which was parked in Sundre at Mama’s Laundromat & Papa’s Inside Self Storage Units on the west side of Centre Street about a block north of the Highway 27 and Main Avenue intersection, local Mounties reported in a press release issued the following day.
“The suspect entered the vehicle and started to drive away when the owner of the truck noticed and went after the suspect and truck,” wrote the Sundre RCMP’s detachment commander, Sgt. Trent Sperlie.
“A physical altercation between the owner and the suspect occurred, which ended when the truck collided with a dumpster in the alley. The male suspect fled the scene on foot and is still at large,” said Sperlie, adding no injuries were reported and that the investigation remains ongoing.
However, police caution members of the public from following or approaching suspects who are committing a crime.
“We discourage people from pursuing or confronting individuals involved in criminal activity as there is a high risk of injury, especially if the criminal is armed,” he said in response to follow-up questions.
“You also can never tell how desperate someone is and what they are willing to do to escape,” he added.
Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact either the Sundre RCMP at 403-638-3655 or their local police. Callers who prefer to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), submit information online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the P3 Tips app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
