Mountie fires shot at van driver

Ladysmith RCMP say motorist ignored orders to get out of vehicle, altercation ensued

A Ladysmith RCMP officer fired a shot at the driver of a van believed to have been stolen from Nanaimo.

No one was injured in the incident, which took place about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, said RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Janelle Shoihet.

The officer was patrolling Shell Beach Road, near the Stz’uminus First Nation, when he saw a van idling in the parking lot of Elliot Beach Park. A check on the vehicle showed it had been reported stolen the previous day.

The officer asked for backup. When another officer arrived, the first officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and placed the driver under arrest.

Shoihet said the driver ignored the officer’s repeated commands to get out of the vehicle. When the driver attempted to leave in the van, an altercation resulted and shots were fired by police.

About 45 minutes later, witnesses saw a van with a flat tire in the community of Stz’uminus First Nation. The vehicle was abandoned off the end of Stz’uminus Road.

The driver, a 22-year-old Nanaimo man, was found nearby and arrested without incident. He was expected to make his first appearance in court on Thursday.

Officers with the Island District general investigation sections are now in charge of the investigation.

Anyone who has information and has not already spoken to police is asked to contact the Ladysmith RCMP at 250-245-2215.