A 29-year-old property crime offender from Mission was arrested last week after police executed a search warrant at his residence.
On the morning of May 29, a resident from Abbotsford noticed that someone had entered his farm property overnight and stolen keys to numerous vehicles, as well as a pair of Apple AirPods.
The resident used an app to determine that the AirPods were currently at a gas station in Abbotsford. The resident attended the gas station and noticed a suspicious vehicle filling up at the pump; however, the suspects took notice of the resident’s vehicle at the gas station – as it was the same one they had broken into hours earlier – and got spooked as a result.
One of the suspects quickly reversed, taking the entire gas pump hose with him, as he had still been fueling up his tank. Another suspect quickly pulled the hose out and then they fled the area.
Soon afterwards, the AirPods showed that they were in a mall parking lot in Mission. But again, the suspects noticed the resident’s truck arrive and they sped off, reportedly driving dangerously and into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, the suspects drove to their residence on 6th Avenue, which was identified with help of the tracking information from the AirPods.
Police were called, and Mission RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit used unmarked vehicles to conduct surveillance of the residence, while other officers applied for a search warrant.
The warrant was granted hours later, and officers from Mission RCMP and the Abbotsford Police Department executed the search warrant that evening. The AirPods, stolen keys, and various other identification documents were subsequently located by police.
A 29-year-old man from Mission, with numerous prior convictions for property crimes and other offences, was taken into custody.
Mission RCMP highlight this as a good example of the cooperation that regularly occurs between Mission RCMP and the Abbotsford Police Department on a variety of investigations, as well as the benefit of having Mission RCMP’s plainclothes team – the Crime Reduction Unit – who often assist with investigations where covert resources are needed.
Although this investigation had a successful outcome, police caution the public not to follow or approach someone whom they believe has stolen from them, and to instead immediately call police, as property crime offenders can often resort to desperate measures to try to get away. Fortunately, in this case, the only casualty was a broken gas pump hose.
