RCMP officers in Mission got more than they bargained for when they spotted a suspicious vehicle last week.
On the afternoon of September 9, officers with Mission RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit were conducting proactive patrols in unmarked vehicles, when a vehicle of interest caught their eye. The vehicle – a black Dodge Journey – was in the parking lot of a mall along London Avenue, when one officer recognized the license plate as previously being on a different vehicle owned by a known offender.
Officers followed the Journey until it eventually parked along 1st Avenue, where a traffic stop was conducted, and officers subsequently determined that all four occupants of the vehicle were known offenders.
The driver of the vehicle – a 29-year-old man from Mission – was arrested for driving while prohibited Canada-wide and breaching his probation.
A 26-year-old female passenger was arrested for breaching her Conditional Sentence Order, as she was not complying with the conditions of her house arrest.
A 27-year-old man from Chilliwack was arrested for breaching two counts of his probation – including possessing pieces of identification in other people’s names.
The fourth passenger was not arrested; however, he had an outstanding DNA Order stemming from a conviction for aggravated assault in Surrey in 2023.
Cpl. Jason Boon, who oversees the Mission RCMP Crime Reduction Unit, notes the benefits of their plainclothes team: “Whereas General Duty officers are usually very busy responding to calls and carrying out investigations, our team has more flexibility to proactively seek out offenders and prevent future crimes.
“Operating covertly also helps us to increase safety for both the public and our officers. There’s always a chance that an offender will drive dangerously to try to get away if a marked police car signals them to pull over.
“In this case, our team was able to follow this vehicle until it parked and there was no further danger of it trying to flee. We were then able to move in and safely make the arrests.”
Police also followed up with the registered owner of the Journey. She stated that she had sold the vehicle that morning to the female who had been arrested. However, the previous owner had only taken payment and signed the transfer form, but had not followed through to ensure the transfer was actually completed.
Mission RCMP recommend that when selling a vehicle, the seller should attend an ICBC Autoplan location with the buyer, to ensure the registration is actually transferred out of the seller’s name, and to obtain a copy of the completed transfer paperwork. Otherwise, the seller has no way of knowing whether the buyer actually completed the transfer. If that vehicle was later involved in a criminal offence or a collision, that previous owner could face liability if the vehicle registration still showed them as the owner.
