A truck driver was able to escape after being held at gunpoint by pretending to call his dispatcher, but instead secretly calling police.
The incident happened on Monday, November 6th on Highway 5 near Avola, British Columbia.
According to Surrey Now Leader, at approximately 4:16 p.m., a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer was at the Wire Cache rest area when he noticed a man slumped over in a still-running mini van. Believing the man was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, the officer placed the man under arrest and escorted him to the back of his patrol car. The suspect, 33 year old David Lee Chappell, then managed to escape the police vehicle and overpower the officer, fleeing the scene in his mini van.
“When being advised of being placed under arrest, the 33 year-old suspect managed to get out of the police vehicle, overpower the officer and flee in the minivan northbound on Highway 5 with the officer following,” recounted Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
Chappell then allegedly pulled in front of a pickup truck, forcing it to stop, before pulling out a handgun and approaching the pickup driver. An officer then arrived on scene and Chappell abandoned the pickup, again fleeing north on Highway 5.
Police then received a call reporting that the suspect had allegedly approached a semi truck parked on the side of the road and smashed out one of its windows in an attempt to get the trucker to drive him away. The trucker apparently refused and Chappell jumped into another semi truck parked in the same location, this time threatening the truck driver with a gun.
“It was at this time that the suspect jumped into a second semi-truck parked at the location and is alleged to have threatened the driver and brandished a gun,” said Cpl. Moskaluk.
“The trucker proceeded southbound with police officers responding in unmarked vehicles who followed from a distance.”
Chappell then allegedly took the wheel of the semi truck as the trucker secretly communicated with police by pretending to be speaking to a dispatcher.
“A Critical Incident Commander, the Southeast District Emergency Response Team and Police Service Dog unit were engaged with joining the convoy unbeknownst to the suspect,” explained Moskaluk.
“As planned, the truck pulled into the weigh scales west of Kamloops on Hwy 1 and the driver was able to exit his truck and sought shelter with the positioned officers,” continued Moskaluk.
The big rig was then disabled, but Chappell refused to exit the cab, continuing to try to drive it away.
“Officers threw in gas canisters in attempts to flush Chappell out of the vehicle, however he attempted to drive it further, only succeeding in moving a few hundred meters before it slid off the road and flipped,” Moskaluk said.
Chappell then left the wrecked truck and was met with police dogs, leaving him with several minor dog bites as police took him into custody.
Police later discovered a handgun in the cab of the truck.
The identity of the trucker involved has not been released and the charges against Chappell are not yet known as officials continue their investigation into the incident.
