A man is in custody after a 40-minute crime spree was brought to an end by an RCMP helicopter Wednesday afternoon.

It began rather innocuously at around 12:20 p.m. when a witness reported the theft of a car from a Luckakuck Way parking lot. The car, a red Plymouth Acclaim, was located by a police cruiser soon after on Vedder Road, but then the situation got interesting.

When the driver pulled into a parking lot in the 5700 block of Vedder Road, the police car activated its lights in an attempt to pull over the suspect.

But the suspect had different ideas, and according to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop, "drove the stolen vehicle over the curb, over trees and shrubs, across the boulevard and public sidewalk and back out onto Vedder Road to evade police."

Police looked north down Vedder Road and watched the suspect leave the vehicle and begin running. The car was still moving, however, and officers remained at the scene to monitor the Plymouth as it left the right side of the road and struck a tree and brick wall fence.

Dunlop said the situation could have been far worse.

"His driving and his attempts to evade police were very, very dangerous and, jumping out of a moving vehicle, had there been a single person in the way, it could have been a deadly incident. We're very glad no one was hurt."

She added that police never pursued the suspect.

As officers ensured the empty vehicle had come to a stop, a witness called police to tell them the suspect was running through backyards towards Thomas Road. Police are still piecing together what happened but the next time the man was spotted, he was riding a bike near Vedder and Keith Wilson roads. Somewhere in there, the man visited a nearby Home Hardware and stole two screwdrivers, with which he attempted to steal a vehicle from the Pacific Region Training Centre grounds, likely after being spotted on the bike.

"I can only speculate but he did attempt to steal another vehicle at PRTC and those are likely the tools he needed to do it," said Dunlop.

In the meantime, a police helicopter already in the area joined in the search. Shortly before 1 p.m., the helicopter found the suspect hiding underneath the wing of an airplane near the military museum. As police quickly arrived at the scene, the man bolted but was finally unable to escape.

Dunlop said the 39-year-old suspect, is from Surrey and considered a "prolific offender" by police. Police have recommended a rash of charges including two counts of theft under $5,000, two counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000, dangerous driving, flight from police, possession of break-in instruments, attempted theft under $5,000 and driving while suspended. The suspect was also wanted on outstanding warrants for possession of stolen property over $5,000.

tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com