Hours-long closure of Coquihalla Hwy. involved stolen truck, reports of firearm: RCMP
The police incident that closed the Coquihalla Highway for several hours Wednesday does not appear to be connected to any other "recent high-profile events" in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, according to police.
Authorities shared more information on the cause of the closure Thursday, revealing that the incident began when officers attempted to pull over a stolen Dodge Ram pickup truck near the Coquihalla Summit around 12:15 p.m.
Mounties said the driver tried escaping down a side road but that the vehicle became stuck. Three suspects then ran away on foot, and authorities said witnesses reported seeing one of them carrying a firearm.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the highway was closed for several hours while we searched the area for these suspects," Sgt. Josh Roda of Merritt RCMP said in a news release. "Without knowing their identities or their intentions, and reports indicating they were armed, we felt it was best to keep all members of the public from the scene."
Officers from the Merritt RCMP and a local Emergency Response Team responded to the incident, and evacuated a nearby construction site for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, where more than a dozen construction workers were on the job.
Police managed to arrest a woman shortly after launching the search, and found two men hours later. The suspects were all taken into custody without incident, authorities said.
The RCMP has not confirmed whether officers found any firearms during the search.
Little information has been shared about the suspects, but Roda said there is "no indication" they are related to any of the headline-making police incidents reported in recent days – including those that remain under investigation in Merritt.
"We are aware of the online speculation on the identities of these suspects," he said.
Another major traffic artery was closed earlier this week following an armed robbery at a car dealership in Port Coquitlam. Authorities said the suspects engaged in a shootout with police, and were chased until they crashed near the King Edwards Overpass on Highway 1.
Police are also investigating a double-fatal shooting discovered in Port Coquitlam on Wednesday evening, and multiple shootings and a kidnapping that occurred over a number of days in Merritt.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.