Suspect steals SUV in Seattle, speeds through NEXUS, ends up in flames in Surrey

The Surrey RCMP says one man was arrested Saturday night after an international joy-ride ended in flames.

Mounties say just after 8 p.m., officers received reports that a suspected stolen vehicle had crossed through the Peace Arch border into Canada after “failing to stop for police in Washington.”

Police say the silver Hyundai SUV was found on Highway 99, just north of 16th Avenue, where it went off the road and “caught fire.”

Photos of the stolen Hyundai that fled Whatcom County Troopers into Canada pic.twitter.com/tPttYeunjF

— Trooper Kelsey Harding (@wspd7pio) July 23, 2023

“The lone driver managed to extricate himself from the vehicle. He was taken into custody after having a brief altercation with police resulting in officers deploying a conducted energy weapon,” Snr. Sgt. Tyner Gillies said in a statement Sunday.

Police confirm the man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, including a punctured or collapsed lung.

Another vehicle was allegedly clipped by the suspect’s Hyundai prior to the fiery crash. Police say that particular collision didn’t cause much damage to the other vehicle, and there are no reports of injuries to the other occupant.

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The suspect has now been turned over to U.S. law enforcement, Mounties say, after he was medically cleared.

Speaking to CityNews, Washington State Patrol Trooper Anthony Reese says the incident started more than 200 km away, when the 21-year-old Californian suspect allegedly stole the vehicle in Seattle.

Washington state police then began to receive reports of an “impaired driver” along Interstate 5, Reese says, with reporters saying the vehicle was driving erratically.

“The vehicle continued north on I-5 from Skagit County, which is the county below Whatcom County, where Bellingham is located, up into Whatcom County where troopers were able to locate the vehicle in North Bellingham,” Reese explained.

“The driver of the vehicle failed to stop, leading us on a high-speed chase reaching speeds of near 115 miles an hour (185 km/h).”

Police aircraft from Seattle were also involved in the chase, Reese explains, along with other allied law enforcement officers.

As the chase was approaching the border, troopers “attempted” to let the Canadian Border Services Agency know that it was coming.

“I’m not sure if our dispatchers were able to get through or not, but essentially, the driver crossed into Canada through the NEXUS lane — just drove through it, didn’t stop or anything — and then continued north,” he said.

Reese says the suspect is being held in custody and is facing charges of theft of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude law enforcement.