Suspect arrested after ditching stolen truck in Mission park: RCMP

Mounties in Mission say a man stole a stuck and drove it around town in an apparent attempt to evade police.

Mission RCMP says they were called just after 8 p.m. Saturday night to a pub in the Hatzic area after police say 24-year-old Jayden Dewitte allegedly “caused a disturbance and did burnouts” with a white Ford F-350 in the parking lot.

Police say he was gone by the time they arrived, but it wasn’t long before police found him on the road. Dewitte is suspected of “driving dangerously” near Cedar Street and Egglestone Avenue, and officers followed him to Griner Park.

However, police weren’t able to detain Dewitte at the time, according to a release from Mission RCMP.

“The truck escaped by driving through the park, smashing through a fence, and departing via an adjacent street.”

Officers found the truck abandoned at nearby Centennial Park, they say it was “confirmed to have been stolen.”

Alongside Mission RCMP and some police dogs, the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team was called in. The group thought the suspect ended up around 11th Avenue and Dunsmuir Street and stuck around for a while, but were unsuccessful in finding him.

“Dewitte was also the subject of police investigations in several other Lower Mainland communities over the past couple of days, and he may again travel to a different area of the region,” Mission RCMP said in a release.

Mounties say he was arrested Sunday evening “without incident,” and has been taken into custody.

Police did not say if any charges have been laid.

Police ask anyone with any information to call Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161.