Two men were arrested early Friday morning after a crash involving a stolen pickup truck.
Vancouver police say they were called to the area of Harwood and Burrard streets around 4 a.m. after the owner of the truck saw someone stealing his vehicle.
Officers caught up with the truck near Granville Street and West 16th Avenue, but say the truck driver got "spooked" and ran a red light.
That's when the pickup T-boned an SUV before plowing into a tree nearby.
VPD members boxed the stolen truck in with their vehicles, but the suspect still tried to get away, Sgt. Brian Montague told CTV News.
"He was desperately trying to escape. Tires were spinning, engines were revving," he said.
"Our goal is to make sure he doesn't get out of that box and flee at a high rate of speed and crash into another vehicle or pedestrian."
The alleged truck thief was eventually taken into custody, and the passenger was apprehended with the help of the K9 unit.
Police said later that Vancouver resident Harry Kenneth Folkes, 29, has been charged with theft and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from a police officer and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
Hastings Steven Gillies, 29, of Vancouver, has also been charged with theft of a motor vehicle.
The woman in the SUV, who was driving to work when she was hit, suffered minor injuries. The second suspect was also hurt. Both were taken to hospital.
Residents living in a nearby apartment said the loud crash woke up many of the tenants.
"The cats were pretty upset," said Gordon Terpenkas.
"In a way I'm glad they hit the tree and not the house so that no one else was hurt."
The VPD says two of its canine unit vehicles sustained minor damage.
Traffic on Granville Street around 16th Avenue was blocked off for several hours as police investigated but reopened before 8 a.m.
