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Penticton man apprehended with stolen vehicle after ramming police vehicles

He is charged with dangerous driving, possessing stolen property, assaulting police with a weapon
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Damaged caused to the stolen vehicle Ronald Stewart used to ram police cruisers as he attempted to flee arrest. Photo submitted

Penticton resident Ronald Stewart, 43, is facing charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, possessing stolen property, and dangerous driving after he was caught in a stolen vehicle on Jan. 22.

At approximately noon, officers with Penticton RCMP’s Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU) observed Stewart driving the stolen vehicle with a female passenger. When the officers attempted to arrest the occupants after they had parked in a Penticton motel parking lot, Stewart reversed the stolen truck into a police vehilce and drove out of the lot.

“Officers, with the assistance of Police Dog Services, located the vehicle near the Twin Lakes gas station. Stewart saw police moving in, got back into the vehicle, put it into gear, and violently rammed into one of the police vehicles,” wrote Cst. James Grandy with the Penticton RCMP in a release. “Stewart was able to drive out of the gas station, and onto the highway, where he lost some control, enabling officers to nudge it safely into a ditch.”

Both Stewart and the female passenger exited the truck and attempted to flee, but the police dog was able to catch and subdue them until officers could make the arrest. Following the incident, Stewart and the passenger were both held in custody facing numerous charges.

“Criminals using vehicles to ram police vehicles are becoming increasingly common. Having no regard for public or police safety, this type of despicable behaviour will not be tolerated”, stressed Cpl. Van Every with TEU in the release.

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