Driver blows through stop sign in front of cop car in Kamloops

Police stopped a dangerous driver in downtown Kamloops, just as the morning commuter traffic was starting.

It all started at 6:20 a.m. today, April. 6, when an officer watched a grey Toyota run a stop sign and turn into the path of their cruiser, according to an RCMP news release.

The officer, who recognized the driver, tried to stop the car as it turned the wrong way down Seymour Street.

The Toyota continued slowly and drove over a curb as officers tried to block it.

“Fearing a risk to the public, officers called off their efforts to stop the vehicle, out of concern that the driver could increase his speeds and drive erratically in an attempt to evade arrest," Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Const. Crystal Evelyn said in the release.

Although the chase was called off, an off-duty officer watched the vehicle hit a light pole and a building on Lansdowne and 3 Avenue before stopping on the street.

Officers then showed up to surround the vehicle and blocked traffic as the driver tried to move the car again.

“The man resisted arrest, was screaming, sweating, and found to be possession of suspected fentanyl,” Evelyn said. “Concerned he was experiencing excited delirium, officers transported the man to the hospital for assessment, to be returned to police custody following any required medical treatment.”

The driver is expected to face numerous charges once the investigation is finished, RCMP said.

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