NORTH Vancouver RCMP are appealing to the public to help find a driver who clipped a police cruiser, ripping off its driver's side mirror, before speeding off on Hwy. 1 Thursday night.
The police car was stopped at the side of the highway near the Capilano exit with its emergency lights activated just before midnight when a vehicle raced up behind it, clipped the cruiser and then sped away, said Cpl. Richard De Jong, spokesman for the North Vancouver detachment.
Fortunately, the police officer was standing farther up the road speaking to the driver of the car she had just stopped when the incident took place, said De Jong. "She spun around when she heard the crunching noise of the mirror being ripped off," he said.
A second car speeding close behind also did not stop.
Police are now analyzing videotape from the cruiser to try to identify the vehicles.
De Jong said under the Motor Vehicle Act, if drivers are in an area where the posted speed limit is 80 kilometres/hour or more and they see an emergency vehicle with lights activated, they are supposed to slow down to 70 kilometres an hour. If they are in an area marked 80 km/hr or under, drivers must slow to 40 km/hr.
De Jong said damage to the police car is probably just under $1,000.
