A man who deliberately rammed a police car with his SUV Monday morning in North Vancouver has been arrested.
The incident happened around 8:40 a.m. in the Northshore Auto Mall, near Fell Avenue and Automall Drive, when an RCMP officer spotted a grey Dodge Durango SUV driving erratically, said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Peter DeVries.
The driver spotted the officer and sped away at high speed, said DeVries.
But a moment later, the driver circled back and drove straight toward the officer, crashing into the police cruiser.
After the crash, the driver sped off in the SUV. At first, the officer tried to chase the vehicle, but quickly called off the pursuit as a possible risk to the public, said DeVries.
Damage sustained by the SUV, however, meant the Durango couldn’t be driven very far, said DeVries.
Police converged and found the vehicle less than a kilometre away, stopped at a dead end road in the area of Phillip Avenue and West 1st Street. A man believed to be the driver was standing outside the vehicle.
Police arrested a 26-year-old man from Princeton and have recommended charges including dangerous operation of a vehicle and flight from a police officer.
The officer whose car was rammed sustained minor back injuries in the incident. He was released after being seen by doctors in hospital.
