A wanted man looking for a quick getaway tried to hijack a car to escape police. He failed, spectacularly and immediately, by making one simple mistake: trying to steal a car from police.
On Nov. 9, 2015, 25-year-old Kyle Berg walked up to a car stopped at an intersection in downtown Surrey, B.C., and wrenched open the door before trying to drag the driver out into the street. Unfortunately for him, his target of choice was an unmarked RCMP vehicle with two plainclothes officers inside.
"I was really focused on the task at hand and was surprised when the suspect, instead of walking by our vehicle, came right up to our door," says one of the two officers (who cannot be named to protect their identities). "Nothing like this has happened in my career before."
It took only a moment before the two officers had Berg in handcuffs.
"The look on the suspect's face when we identified ourselves was priceless," said the second officer. "Calling him stunned would be an understatement."
Berg was wanted in his hometown of Penticton, B.C. on charges of wearing a disguise with intent. He remains in police custody, facing new charges for robbery and breach of probation, along with the original charge that had led to his flight from justice.
"Plainclothes duty requires members to be ready for any eventuality," says Cpl. Scotty Schumann, media relations officer for Surrey Detachment. "This had the potential to be a frightening incident and we are thankful our officers were in the right place at the right time to take this person into custody."
Schumann remarks that the suspect got the ride he wanted, but probably not to the location he was hoping for.
— with files from Cpl. Scotty Schumann
Reprinted with permission from the Pony Express ().