SURREY — Surrey Mounties arrested a 23-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys after some wild driving involving a rental car that headed into oncoming traffic and blew through red lights.
Staff Sergeant Murray Hedderson said police received a call 6 p.m. Wednesday from a motorist reporting a road rage incident at 128th Street near 66th Avenue.
The motorist said it started with a Grey Toyota Camry cutting them off.
"The complaint advised that there had been an exchange between the occupants of the vehicles, and during this exchange what appeared to be a firearm was produced by one of the occupants of the grey Toyota Camry," Hedderson said.
The motorist got a licence plate number, which was broadcast to police. An officer spotted the Camry on 130th Street , flipped on the patrol car's sirens and lights and made a U-turn to stop it. The driver of the Camry drove into an oncoming lane, forcing motorists to swerve out of its way, then sped away through a series of red lights,
Police determined the car was registered to a rental company.
A Mountie spotted it in Whalley on Thursday night but didn't activate lights or sirens.
Hedderson said the Camry's driver "for no apparent reason" began driving in an "extremely erratic" manner, into oncoming traffic and speeding through red lights.
"No police car attempted to stop the vehicle or pursue it as it drove in such a dangerous manner, fearing for the safety of the public due to the manner that the grey Toyota Camry was being driven," Hedderson said.
A police helicopter followed the Camry to Guildford Town Centre shopping mall, where the car pulled into an underground parking lot. "Once in the underground parking area, the three occupants from the vehicle abandoned it and fled on foot."
Hedderson said the Surrey RCMP's Gang Enforcement unit and an emergency response team (ERT) arrested three young men and seized the car. Police are asking witnesses to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com