Coquitlam Mounties are searching for a suspected impaired driver who allegedly crashed a pickup truck then carjacked and crashed another vehicle Thursday morning.
The RCMP said the incident started after officers received reports of an impaired man sitting in a pickup in a parking lot near the Superstore on Lougheed Highway around 10:30 a.m.
"As soon as police arrived the driver saw police and sped away, hitting another vehicle as he left," Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told CTV News.
"To be clear, we were not pursuing here, the driver simply sped away as soon as he saw police."
Mounties said the suspect crashed the truck on the railway tracks near Westwood Street and Kingsway Avenue shortly after, then got out and carjacked a woman's Toyota Corolla.
The Corolla slammed into a hydro pole moments later, rendering it undriveable.
The suspect then bolted on foot, according to Mounties. The Air One helicopter and RCMP Dog Services were dispatched to the area to help track him down.
The carjacking victim suffered minor injuries, but McLaughlin said it's fortunate no one was seriously hurt by the suspect's actions, which he described as "beyond reckless."
Though no arrests have been made, Mounties said they do have a suspect in mind.
"It is a darker skinned man in his 30s. He's got short hair, neck tattoos and a black Crooks and Castles hoodie with a gold chain," McLaughlin said.
The suspect was last seen running down an alley near the west side of the Coquitlam river.
Anyone who sees a man matching the suspect description is asked to call police.
