Police converged on Vernon’s north end late Monday afternoon after a vehicle theft in which the owner was chased across town. A suspect was seen in custody in the back of an RCMP pickup on the street across from the Village Green Mall at about 4pm after the thief beat off his pursuers. Contractor Tim Johnson was working on a customer’s home in the Okanagan Landing area when the man stole his work truck and trailer. Johnson says the customer and he followed the man in the customer’s SUV before the thief crashed their vehicle near the area of 48th Avenue and 27th Street. Somewhere along the way, one of the truck’s rear tires blew out and it stopped near a Petro-Canada gas station. Witnesses say the man fled on foot and may have attempted to commandeer at least one other vehicle before being apprehended. Police swarmed the area and he was seen running along 27th Street before the man was arrested. It is not believed that anyone was injured in the dramatic incident.
