B.C. man hiding from wintry weather got stuck in bus luggage compartment

(Shutterstock.com / Al Serov)

One of the stranger calls made to police in B.C. this month was for a man stuck inside the luggage compartment of a bus.

The man's story was outlined in a "2021 Christmas Community Update" released by the Campbell River detachment on Christmas Eve, though it occurred on Dec. 15.

Mounties in the Vancouver Island community were flagged down at about 3 a.m. that day, by a man who said he'd heard knocking coming from the luggage undercarriage of a tour bus.

It seemed a man in his 40s was seeking refuge from the weather, the RCMP said, and had climbed into the luggage compartment of the bus parked on 11th Avenue.

He closed the door and fell asleep, not realizing he'd just locked himself inside, police said. He realized when he woke up, and tried making noise and knocking to catch the attention of what Mounties called "limited foot traffic in the area."

His plan worked, and a passerby heard the noise and flagged down police.

"'Can't You Hear Me Knocking?' Not just the title of a Rolling Stones song, but a call for help," the RCMP wrote in the community update.

Officers were working to free the man when the bus driver showed up early for his shift. The driver unlocked the compartment, and the man was able to get out.

"The man was fortunately uninjured and likely will be a little more cautious as his sleeping arrangement could have meant waking up in a totally different community," the RCMP said.

2021 was the first year ever in which the Campbell River detachment surpassed 17,000 files. Among those calls was a report of an impaired driver who defecated in the back seat of a police cruiser.