Alleged car thief arrested after hopping onto train to avoid capture, say Salmon Arm RCMP

An alleged car thief hopped onto a train to avoid capture, say police in B.C.’s Southern Interior, after a stolen vehicle was spotted and recovered.

Salmon Arm RCMP say the incident began on Monday afternoon, after a red Jeep was found abandoned at the end of 70th Avenue NE.

Police say a person in the area captured video of a man leaving the Jeep, which was later determined to have been stolen out of Kelowna that morning.

“Also in the vehicle was a stolen e-bike,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Scott West.

“A good description of the suspect matched a subsequent complaint of a male with the same description hopping on a passing train.”

Police say they alerted CP Rail, and then began looking for the suspect “near the tracks at local points where the train stopped or slowed to a near stop in Salmon Arm.”

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The suspect, whom police say had a distinctive description, was located and arrested near a local business in the west end of town.

The man was temporarily held in custody before being released. Police say they are continuing to investigate charges of motor vehicle theft, theft under $5,000 and one charge under the Railway Safety Act for hitching a ride on a train.