Man arrested after stolen car crashes into Willingdon Ave fire hydrant

RCMP say a portion of Willingdon Ave near BCIT was shut down for several hours Thursday night after a stolen vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant.

Cpl Mike Kalanj said multiple witnesses reported a man and a woman had fled from the car, which was reported stolen on Wednesday.

“We tried to contain the scene, which was tricky because—obviously being BCIT, that was really tough. But we did manage to get our canine units in there and we were able to locate the male. So we had one male in custody quite quickly.”

Investigators were not able to track down the woman, however, who remained missing as of 11pm Thursday night.

Kalanj said the man is the subject of several warrants from out of town, and could face several more charges including possession of stolen property, fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle incident, and breaching conditions.

Police aren’t sure who was driving the car and whether impairment was a factor.

The site of the crash on Willingdon Ave between Sanderson Way and Goard Way remained closed for several hours in both directions while crews worked on the scene. Kalanj said the car had hit not only the fire hydrant, but a light pole and hydro pole as well.

“It was just unsafe for anyone to drive down there,” he said.

The northbound lane was opened to traffic just before 10pm, although the southbound lane remained closed for some time afterward.