A break-and-enter suspect was caught by Metro Vancouver police as he tried to flee the scene of a crime on a paddleboard – without a paddle.
Police were called to a West Vancouver home on Roseberry Avenue Monday evening for reports that an alarm system had been triggered.
The officer who responded to the call found the door ajar of the home near Rumble Street, and searched the house for an intruder.
A short time later, the homeowner returned, and showed the officer his closed-circuit TV camera. The video showed an unknown male entering the residence.
The officer at the scene quickly broadcast the description of the male, and has he reviewed the video, several residents of the area placed calls to the West Vancouver Police Department. Callers told the PD they'd seen a suspicious person going through their backyards, and the neighbours' descriptions matched the man seen on the CCTV footage.
Police flooded the area, and the suspect was soon located. But the man took off, heading south toward Marine Drive on a bicycle.
The suspect was seen entering the backyard of a home on the waterfront, then seen a short time later, "heading out to sea on a paddleboard," police said.
The seaward fugitive did not have a paddle or a lifejacket.
The Vancouver Police Marine Unit was called, and the suspect was captured. The man, who has not been publicly identified, is facing charges of breaking and entering, theft from a motor vehicle and theft under $5,000.
