A 30-year-old man who allegedly drove a stolen car over the top of a police bicycle is facing a dozen charges.
Jason Edward Keyes appeared at Richmond Provincial Court on Friday and was charged with a plethora of crimes, including dangerous driving, theft, break and enter and police obstruction.
According to Richmond RCMP, officers from its Property Crime Unit (PCU) recently arrested Keyes, believing he was connected to a series of thefts and property-related offences.
Investigators followed the clues from several intertwined cases starting with an incident on April 21.
On that date, a suspect was identified by Richmond Bike Unit officers after he was found in a stolen, blue 2013 Ford Escape in the 7000 block of Saba Road.
This area was already under police surveillance after a series of mail thefts were reported in close succession.
In his haste to escape officers, the suspect reversed over one of the RCMP’s patrol bicycles and fled.
The officer who was using the bike was unharmed, but his ride was damaged beyond repair after being crushed and dragged for well over a block.
“This incident could have caused serious or life threatening injuries to one or more of our officers, not to mention innocent bystanders,” said Cpl. Simon Lee of the PCU.
“This, coupled with the damage to police property while fleeing, heightened our focus and purpose.”
On May 11, the suspect resurfaced. In this instance, police observed him allegedly driving a stolen, 2015, white Toyota Camry in the area near Elmbridge Way and Minoru Boulevard, one of the areas experiencing a recent increase in burglaries.
Several plain-clothes police units have been focussing their efforts in this area and PCU officers safely arrested the suspect without incident.
The Camry was recovered and a subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered burglary tools, stolen mail, various stolen garage door opener remotes, drugs/drug paraphernalia and identification documents.
As officers delved deeper into that investigation, several other open cases have been linked.
After his court appearance, Keyes was remanded into custody until his next appearance later this month.
“This arrest speaks to the dedication and collaboration of all the officers at Richmond Detachment,” said Richmond RCMP Supt. Will Ng, officer in charge at the Richmond detachment.
“Collectively, our goal is to collect the best evidence to secure convictions. We will aggressively target property crime through data analysis, enforcement, and education.
“We want thieves to know that our patrol officers and plainclothes officers are out there whether you can see them or not.
“We want to make Richmond very inhospitable for thieves.”
