A 25-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to ram and evade a police vessel off the coast of Prince Rupert.
On the evening of Monday, June 16, police received reports that a fishing boat, which had been reported stolen out of Port Hardy on Sunday, had been spotted south of Prince Rupert.
The RCMP patrol vessel Inkster and a West Coast Marine Services vessel responded and attempted to intercept the stolen boat, but it did not stop.
"The situation quickly escalated, becoming increasingly dangerous as the boat operator then allegedly tried to evade police while on the water in the dark, including firing flares at police and attempting to ram a responding police vessel," the RCMP said in a news release June 19. "The operator of the stolen boat was also using the boat’s VHF radio to allegedly threaten police."
A pursuit ensued for more than an hour before the suspect ran the fishing boat aground, where officers took him into custody.
This was a dynamic situation that endangered everyone on the water, including the suspect, responding officers, and all other marine traffic,"
said Cpl. Jeff Haney, acting Sergeant of West Coast Marine Services. We are glad this situation was safely resolved with the suspect being taken into custody, and nobody getting injured. There was a high level of risk involved, given the area and the unpredictable actions of the boat operator.
Police said that while the investigation is ongoing, they will be recommending charges to the Crown for prosecution.
The grounded fishing boat has since been recovered and towed from the area.
"West Coast Marine Services would like to thank and acknowledge partners involved with this file, which has included assistance from Prince Rupert RCMP, Port Hardy RCMP, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Metlakatla First Nation," stated the release.
