Man charged after stealing Vancouver police cruiser, driving it around park

The man accused of stealing a Vancouver police cruiser and taking it for a joyride in a public park over the weekend has been criminally charged, authorities announced Monday.

Forty-one-year-old Dustin Walter Tallio—who police describe as a “prolific offender” with more than 50 previous criminal convictions—has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, and failing to stop for police.

Around 10:45 a.m. Sunday, after officers were flagged down by a woman who was screaming in distress near East Hastings and Semlin Drive, police allege Tallio got into the cruiser and drove it into Templeton Park, where families with small children were playing.

When asked Monday if police have a protocol when leaving their vehicles, VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said, “Our expectation is that when our officers stop their vehicles and get out of their cars to help somebody that somebody’s not going to get in the car and steal it.”

Videos posted to social media show the driver doing donuts in the field and bystanders cautioning others to keep their distance.

When police arrive on scene—three minutes later, according to Addison—the suspect is seen getting out of the cruiser and beginning to run away, but a police dog quickly catches him.

One bystander received minor injuries during the incident and was taken to hospital, according to police, however Addison said it’s unclear whether the pedestrian was struck by the stolen police car.

The suspect was also treated in hospital “for injuries sustained while being apprehended by the police dog,” police said.

"It's certainly not something you expect to see on a Sunday morning. You certainly don't expect to see a marked police vehicle being driven in that way,” Addison told CTV News Sunday. “It became quickly apparent to people who were there though, that it wasn't a police officer driving that vehicle and that it was a stolen vehicle. We actually had families, people that were in that park, who quickly called 911 and were reporting to us what they were seeing."

Online court records indicate Tallio remains in custody.