Vancouver police officers and Clark County sheriff’s deputies seized four vehicles and arrested six people Wednesday during a joint stolen vehicle sting.
The operation was a part of a larger mission involving multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the Portland metro area. While the sting aimed to locate and recover stolen vehicles, Vancouver police noted in a news release those vehicles can often be used in other crimes, like robberies, shooting and assaults.
Vancouver police used data to focus its search on areas in central and west Vancouver, the department said.
In one incident, the owner of a stolen vehicle spotted it, followed it and confronted the driver. The driver threatened the owner and drove away. Vancouver police later saw the car and tried to pull over the driver, who sped away from officers at reckless speeds, according to the news release.
Several hours later, officers working on the sting saw the vehicle and again tried to stop it. The driver again sped away from police and “exhibited egregiously dangerous driving behavior” before crossing into Oregon, the agency said.
Police in Portland who were a part of the operation there were eventually able to stop the vehicle with spike strips and arrest the driver, who was identified as a 14-year-old Vancouver boy.
In addition to the four stolen vehicles recovered throughout the night, officers also seized one vehicle pending a search warrant in connection with an investigation by Vancouver police’s Property Crimes Unit. Police also seized 56 fentanyl pills form one of the arrested suspects, according to the news release.
In Oregon, police stopped 20 people and recovered seven stolen vehicles, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Vancouver police said the agency will continue to conduct these operations.
