A brazen crime spree that ended with a boat crash off the B.C. coast was so over-the-top it resembled something out of a James Bond movie, according to Mounties.
The RCMP said a man stole one car and at least four boats during the spree, which started Wednesday night on Vancouver Island and continued through most of the Canada Day long weekend.
“This was an unbelievable string of events that would more likely be seen in a James Bond film than around the coastal communities of British Columbia,” Const. Harrison Mohr of the Sunshine Coast RCMP said in a statement.
“Unfortunately the impact of this man’s actions are real. Numerous property owners are now dealing with recovering their stolen property and adding up the extensive damage done.”
Mounties said it began when a man stole a 16-foot fibreglass boat from the Cobble Hill area. A suspect was then spotted over the following days in Sechelt and on the Sunshine Coast aboard a 27-foot Boston Whaler, which had been stolen from Saltspring Island.
He ultimately abandoned that boat to steal a nearby car, and the vessel was found to be full of stolen property, according to the RCMP.
On Sunday, the man is believed to have ditched the car in Gibsons and stolen a 22-foot Boston Whaler, which was later traded for a 19-foot Campion Explorer on Keats Island.
“He took that boat to Bowen Island, where he crashed into some rocks, injuring himself and causing significant damage to the boat,” the RCMP said in a release.
“Bowen Island RCMP arrested the male who was found inside a residence he broke into after making it ashore.”
Officers also found a small quantity of what they believe to be methamphetamine.
The suspect was taken to hospital for treatment and then transported to jail in North Vancouver, where he’s awaiting a bail hearing.
Anyone with information on the crime spree is asked to contact the RCMP at 604-885-2266.
