B.C. carjacking suspect illegally crossed U.S. border before arrest, police say

Authorities have arrested a suspect who allegedly carjacked a pickup truck in B.C.’s Lower Mainland on Thursday, then illegally crossed the U.S. border.

The incident prompted a massive response from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Washington State Patrol, who pursued a suspect vehicle down Interstate 5 past both the Washington state communities of Blaine and Bellingham.

Trooper Kelsey Harding said officers were eventually able to stop the pickup using a PIT maneuver – when police ram into the back of suspect vehicle, causing the driver to lose control – near the Bow Hill rest area.

“The driver was taken into custody,” Harding wrote on social media. “Troopers recovered a machete, and the vehicle was identified (as) stolen from British Columbia.”

Few details about the initial carjacking have been confirmed by Canadian police. Richmond RCMP said officers responded to a report of a robbery around 12:40 p.m., but did not provide any details about the location.

In a statement, the detachment did confirm the victim “did not sustain any physical injuries.”

Harding said the stolen pickup “nearly struck” a border guard at the Peace Arch border crossing, located an approximately 50-minute drive from Richmond, around 1:30 p.m.

Customs and Border Protection officers gave chase down the I-5, and deployed at least one helicopter, but the driver refused to stop, Harding said.

“Troopers observed reckless driving behavior and took over the pursuit for the crime of felony eluding,” she wrote.

Richmond RCMP said it has conduct of the investigation into the carjacking, which remains ongoing. The detachment said it will not be releasing any further details Thursday.