Police in Grand Forks have arrested a 32-year old Lethbridge man and found a Jeep stolen out of Cranbrook in an early-morning standoff.
According to RCMP officials, the Grand Forks detachment responded to an alarm at a business on the 2900 block of Central Avenue just after 5:20 a.m. on Monday.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they were alerted to a stolen 2021 Jeep Cherokee that was taken from Cranbrook the previous morning.
According to police, it appeared as though the suspect in the stolen vehicle had fled the scene after breaking into the business, prior to officers arriving.
The two officers began following the vehicle, with live updates from a dispatcher, who was talking to a Sirus XM operator who was tracking the vehicle.
Police officials said RCMP officers descended on the area and blocked the stolen Jeep in once the suspect came to a stop in a parking lot on the 300 block of 6th Street.
The suspect was located inside the vehicle and refused to get out.
Police began negotiating with the man, who then tried to drive through a pair of police cars that were blocking the exit.
RCMP officials said the man got out of the stolen Jeep and was arrested without further incident after 20 minutes of negotiations.
This was an excellent, coordinated response by Grand Forks officers and their dispatch in successfully tracking and apprehending the suspect,
said detachment commander Sgt. Darryl Peppler. This had the potential to get out of hand, but the quick actions by officers prevented any harm to anyone or any further damage.
The man from Lethbridge was charged with a number of offences, including possession of stolen property over $5,000, break, enter and theft, and fleeing from police.
RCMP are continuing to investigate the theft, as the Lethbridge man is believed to have stolen the Jeep from Cranbrook the previous night.
