Officers from the Burnaby RCMP joined forces with police departments from across the Lower Mainland to catch a suspected car thief who was on the run last Thursday.
The police pursuit began on April 23, when officers with the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) spotted a BMW that had been reported stolen in Coquitlam a few days earlier. The suspect had allegedly broken into a home in Coquitlam and stolen the keys to a 2015 BMW X3, which was parked in the garage, according to a media release.
After it was spotted in Coquitlam, additional sightings came in from New Westminster, Burnaby and Surrey. Officers dispatched a helicopter crew to follow the suspect vehicle and provide “updates to officers on the ground,” the release added.
The RCMP’s Port Mann freeway patrol attempted to stop the vehicle in New Westminster but the driver allegedly sped away before officers could detain him.
It wasn’t until the driver was involved in a minor crash at Imperial Street and Macpherson Avenue in Burnaby that officers were able to close in on the suspect.
The driver fled the scene of the crash and pulled over a short distance away, near Kingsway and Imperial Street, where he exited the BMW and continued on foot, according to the release.
Officers found the suspect shortly after his escape – he was hiding in the stairwell of a residential building, the release added.
Inside the BMW, officers found a number of stolen items including mail, jewelry and power tools. Investigators believe these items may have been taken during robberies in Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. Police are now trying to find the owners of the stolen goods. Any mail found during the search will be returned to Canada Post and delivered to the intended recipients, according to the release.
Brandon Cumming-Hobson, of no fixed address, has been charged with several charges, including possession of property obtained by crime, possession and/or use of stolen credit card, dangerous driving and breach of probation.
Cumming-Hobson was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
