A car thief on the run hit two vehicles and caused traffic chaos on Thursday night in Abbotsford.
Sgt. Judy Bird said the incident began after 8 p.m., when Abbotsford Police officers patrolling the Townline Hill area – where extra enforcement is in place due to recent gang-related violence and last week’s fatal shooting – were running licence plates of parked cars.
A Ford F-150 in the parking lot of the Apollo Athletic club on Townline Road came back as being stolen from Surrey. An officer observing the vehicle saw a male driver and female passenger drive away, and began following the truck from a distance.
The vehicle soon made its way to the area of Fraser Highway and Mt. Lehman roads, and the driver indicated he was going to make a left turn onto Mt. Lehman.
Instead, he made a sudden lane change to the right, causing several cars to brake and hitting a vehicle in his path before swinging back to the left and proceeding through a red light.
The driver then hit a second vehicle as he was proceeding south on Mt. Lehman Road.
Bird said officers who were following the pickup stayed behind to assist the drivers who had been hit, while others were dispatched to the scene.
Those officers followed the trail of vehicle fluid to find the stolen vehicle abandoned in a driveway in the 2000 block of Martens Street. The female passenger was located nearby.
Searches of the area, including use of the Air One police helicopter and a K9 unit, failed to turn up the driver.
Bird said that man, who is in his 30s, is still wanted by police. Charges pending against him include possession of stolen property and dangerous driving.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973).