A prolific multi-province offender was arrested in Nanaimo on Monday following a brief vehicle encounter and the deployment of a police dog.
After being tipped off by an “alert” resident, officers from Nanaimo RCMP discovered a stolen vehicle, a silver Fiat, partially blocking a driveway on Young Street. The car was reported stolen from Duncan three days earlier.
As officers were approaching the vehicle, the driver started the car and tried to evade police, causing two cruisers to receive minor front end damage. After the vehicles collided, the Fiat remained stationary, and a Nanaimo officer and police dog, Juice, removed the driver from the vehicle.
The driver turned out to be 27-year-old Davin Cochrane, a man who was charged with multiple offenses in Alberta before making his way to Vancouver Island. After he was removed from the vehicle, he was sent to a local hospital to receive treatment for several minor dog bites that he received during the incident.
Cochrane appeared before the Nanaimo Provincial court on Tuesday, and remains in police custody while he waits for his next appearance, which is scheduled for February 12th.
He is being charged with possession of stolen property over $5000 and failure to stop for police. For his activities in Grand Prairie, AB, he is currently being charged with 5 counts of possession of stolen property and several other property offenses.
Nanaimo RCMP are thanking the resident of Young Street for their quick reporting of the incident.
“Reporting suspicious activity immediately is a tried and proven means of reducing crime in your neighbourhood and preventing further crime from occurring,” said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a release.
