Hot on the trail of a burglary suspect Wednesday afternoon, the Richmond RCMP got a little help from up on high.
As of 5 p.m. police had only said that the search had "concluded."
One of the RCMP's helicopters just happened to be in the area and not immediately tasked with another case when it was deployed to track the suspect who had reportedly broken into a residence in the 10,000-block of Rosecroft Cresc. and then went on the run.
Richmond RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dennis Hwang said getting the assistance of a helicopter is rare for a burglary case and did not mean there was any heightened danger to the public, although they were advising the public to stay clear of the area.
On the ground in the neighbourhood where the helicopter was circling, area resident Marcia Sanford said she was curious to see and hear the helicopter using its loudspeaker system to tell the public to stay away.
"It was kind of hard to hear over the noise of the helicopter, but they were telling people they were tracking a suspect," said Sanford who called the News to report the situation, adding there was also a police presence on the ground near Walter Lee elementary school.
Later, Sanford said the police told residents in her housing complex — Glenacres — to remain inside their homes and lock the doors because the suspect was thought to have taken refuge in the immediate area.
The RCMP's Hwang said the incident was ongoing as of around 4 p.m. and police were still conducting a search of the neighbourhood and had yet to corner the suspect.
At 5 p.m. on Twitter RCMP announced the search had "concluded."
