A 49-year-old man was arrested in Abbotsford after police say he attempted to flee following a near collision with an unmarked Abbotsford Police Department vehicle.
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An unmarked Abbotsford Police Department (AbbyPD) vehicle was nearly sideswiped by a pickup truck that officers later tracked after it fled a traffic stop attempt, police say.
Around 7 p.m. on Sunday, a member of AbbyPD’s Gang Crime Unit was driving northbound on McCallum Road near Highway 1 when his vehicle was nearly hit, police said. AbbyPD said in a social media post that the officer observed additional signs of impaired driving and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
Police say the driver initially slowed as though he intended to stop, but then accelerated and fled from police. AbbyPD said officers observed the truck drive over a concrete boulevard and continue swerving erratically, creating what it described as a significant risk to public safety.
Officers tracked the vehicle into the area of Huggins Avenue and Laurnell Crescent, where police say the truck lost control and crashed into a utility pole. AbbyPD said the impact caused the pole-mounted transformer to fall onto the hood of the truck and brought several live hydro lines down to the roadway.
Because of the immediate danger posed by the energized power lines, AbbyPD said officers were unable to safely approach the vehicle or arrest the driver until BC Hydro crews arrived and disconnected the power.
After the power was disconnected, police say officers arrested the 49-year-old man. AbbyPD said the man provided breath samples measuring twice the legal limit.
Police said they are recommending several charges, including impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, and mischief, and that no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
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