RICHMOND – A woman was hospitalized after her car was stuck by a man in a stolen RCMP vehicle in Richmond, Mounties say.
Mounties were called to a hospital shortly after noon on Monday for reports that a patient had fled the facility. The RCMP did not say why, but the man was not permitted to leave the hospital.
An officer found the man and tried to take him into custody, but the man got into the Mountie's vehicle and drove off, the RCMP said in an emailed statement hours after the incident.
The office alleges the patient driving the stolen police vehicle then collided with another car and an unmarked police vehicle near the intersection of Gilbert and Donald roads.
The suspect continued along Gilbert, crashing into another car near Blundell Road, officials said. He was arrested at the site of the second collision.
He has not been publicly identified, nor have police said what charges he may face.
The driver of the car struck by Blundell Road was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that are believed to be serious but not life-threatening, the RCMP said. Specific details about the woman's injuries have not been made public.
A damaged white car could be seen parked across one lane near a construction sign. Police tape surrounded the area, and debris from the front end of the car was spread across the street.
Evidence markers were seen on the road beside the vehicle.
A Mountie was also hurt in the incident, but the injuries are believed to be minor.
The incident is under investigation, and the area of Gilbert and Blundell is closed to traffic. The section of road had already been closed for hours by the time the RCMP sent its statement, at around 5:40 p.m.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. was called to investigate whether police action or inaction played a role in the woman's injuries.
The watchdog is called in to investigate all police-related incidents that result in death or serious harm, regardless of if there are allegations of wrongdoing.
