Suspect arrested for stealing side-by-side and fleeing police
March 14, 2020, Collingwood, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia . . . On March 13 at 7:35 a.m., Cumberland District RCMP responded to a 911 call reporting that during the overnight hours, someone had broken into the yard of an outdoor equipment business in Collingwood and stolen a 2020 Can-Am side-by-side off-highway vehicle worth approximately $49,000. When police arrived they found evidence that another vehicle was used to pull the locked gate open so the side-by-side could be driven out of the yard. Nothing else was taken.
A short time later, the RCMP received a call stating that a man had recently left a coffee shop parking lot in Oxford, on a new Can Am side-by-side, and it was suspicious because he was not dressed for the weather and was not wearing a helmet. The caller told police the driver left the area via the highway and was headed towards New Brunswick. RCMP officers located the vehicle, being driven down the middle of the highway, and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect refused to stop, and police did not pursue the vehicle. Police later located the side-by-side, stopped on Old Fort Rd. in Aulac, New Brunswick. They attempted a second traffic stop. The suspect rammed one police vehicle and hit another one before he again fled from police. He was located in the area and arrested without incident a short time later. Two police vehicles sustained significant damage during the incident, however no one was hurt.
Cumberland District RCMP was assisted by Cumberland County Street Crime Enforcement Unit and New Brunswick RCMP in Sackville. The side-by-side has been recovered and Cumberland District RCMP is continuing its investigation into the incident. Anyone with information about this matter is asked to contact police at the Oxford Detachment, 902-447-2525. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.
Police file #s 2020351896, 2020354236, 2020354299 refer.