An RCMP officer takes notes on an overturned Ford 350 pickup on Anderson Drive Tuesday. No one was seriously hurt in the two-vehicle crash.
WEB EXTRA: Driver charged after West Quesnel crash
By Benjamin Alldritt - Quesnel Cariboo Observer
Published: July 02, 2008 3:00 PM
Updated: July 07, 2008 9:59 AM
Three people were taken to hospital and a man is in police custody following a dramatic vehicle collision in West Quesnel Tuesday.
The 25-year-old man and his 28-year-old passenger, both from Whitehorse, were pulled over by RCMP for speeding north of Quesnel Airport at 1:20 p.m. The grey Ford 350 initially pulled over, but then sped off when the RCMP officer had gotten out of his car.
"There was an initial pursuit," Staff Sgt. Gary Clark-Marlow said.
"But the officer shut it down almost immediately as he saw the rate of speed heading into the city."
The officer lost sight of the pickup as it drove south. Another officer spotted it still heading south on Two Mile Flat, driving the speed limit.
"We believe he saw a parked police vehicle and then started to drive erratically," Clark-Marlow said.
The pickup accelerated and began weaving in and out of downtown traffic. RCMP attempted to stop the two men with a spike belt at the intersection of Carson Avenue and Legion Drive.
But the driver avoided the spike belt, pulled a U-turn in the RCMP parking lot and headed west over Moffat Bridge. He narrowly avoided striking a third RCMP vehicle which was on its way to assist the downtown units.
Moments later, the truck smashed into a white Pontiac Grand Am as it turned right onto Anderson Drive from Lewis Drive.
The pickup flipped over several times, struck a power pole and came to rest upside down.
The impact sheared off much of the Grand Am's front bodywork.
Both men in the pickup and the woman driving the Grand Am were taken to G. R. Baker Hospital with minor injuries.
Police reduced Anderson Drive to a single alternating lane as much of the road surface was littered with debris and broken glass. Traffic was backed up for hours as RCMP investigated the scene.
All three were released from hospital and the driver of the pickup remains in police custody. His passenger was released without charges. According to Clark-Marlow, the two men are known to Whitehorse RCMP.
"Both the pickup and the ATV it was carrying were stolen from the Fort St. John area," Clark-Marlow said.
Kellin Richard Friesen appeared in Quesnel Provincial Court Wednesday. He is charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm, possession of stolen goods over $5,000 and flight from a peace officer. He will be back in court July 22.
