A suspected car thief caused chaos and destruction Monday morning as he led officers on a brief chase in the city’s northeast, stealing not one but two cars in the process.
Insp. Rob Williams said police noticed a car driving erratically along 68 St. near 16th Ave. NE around 11 a.m. but lost sight of it until the Grand Prix crashed into another car at the intersection of 68 St. and 22 Ave. NE.
“When police arrived to the scene people were pointing to where the man took off to. Apparently, he ended up at the Esso car wash where a man was washing his car, and stole his (Lexus),” Williams said.
That’s where things got crazy, according to witness Richard George, who stopped at the gas station just seconds after.
“If I was one minute earlier it could have been me, I left my car running to run inside and when I came out, he had just taken this others guy’s car,” George said, adding he won’t be leaving his car running unattended again anytime soon.
Insp. Williams said the car then headed south on 68 St. and hit another car, before police trapped him in. Instead of stopping, the suspect rammed into a police car and took off again.
“We called the chase off at that point, we realized he wouldn’t be stopping. It was lucky no one was hurt,” Williams added.
Police found the stolen Lexus in nearby Abbeydale as policed searched for the suspect, believed to be about 25-years-old, wearing a dark jacket and grey hoodie.
