Daily BrewViral video of Motorcycle chase through B.C. mall was inadvertently released by police
A viralvideo of a motorcyclist leading B.C. RCMP on a high-speed chase through the streets of Surrey initially had police scrambling to find not only the driver, but how the police video became public.
Now that it has been seen by about a quarter of a million people, it turns out the RCMP accidentally released it themselves.
The video was shot February 20 and was released by Live Leak and uploaded to YouTube on March 13 after police accidentally made it public, Surrey RCMP spokesman Sgt. Dale Carr told Yahoo Canada News in an email interview.
“The video is shared with investigators using a site that offers both private and public sharing,” Carr explained.
“In this case the ’private’ checkbox had inadvertently been overlooked.
“We are looking into how that occurred and whether the practice of using that particular site should remain as a standard practice.”
The video was edited together for use in the investigation, Carr said, adding that some or all of it might have been released at some point.
“The video was a compilation that we put together … of air services, Surrey RCMP video and Guildford Mall video for evidence,” Carr said.
The video cuts between footage from a police helicopter and cruisers, also showing surveillance footage from inside the mall. People are seen scrambling to get out of the way as the motorcycle driver took the chase off the streets, down an escalator and in through sliding doors. Security guards are seen running in pursuit.
Helicopter footage shows the motorcyclist leaving the mall and riding across an overpass as two pedestrians jump out the way.
The video ends with a shot of the motorcycle, showing stickers supporting the Hells Angels.
“We’re really happy no one got hurt,” Peggy Howard, general manager of the Guildford Mall, told one local reporter.
The man riding the motorcycle is still on the lam.
“Ultimately the motorcycle was dumped, the individual got away and we’re still looking for who that is,” said Carr, adding police have the motorcycle.
“The Surrey RCMP have yet to make an arrest in this instance, we are looking to the community to assist us with identifying who the operator of the motorcycle is,” Carr said.
Asked what charges the driver could face, Carr said they could include Dangerous Driving Sec 249(1) CCC , Flight from Police Sec 249.1(1) CCC and a “variety of other charges under the Motor Vehicle Act of B.C.”
Carr has been deluged with media calls after the release of the video and he admits it is unusual.
“I’ve been working in police work for 28 years and I’ve never seen a time where we were in pursuit of a motorcycle and it entered a mall, exited a mall, and ultimately we’re still looking for the driver,” Carr said.
The RCMP officer said the video is misleading because it gives the impression that chases are routinely dramatic. Carr stressed that is not the case.
“Throughout the region there have been a number of ’dramatic’ police pursuits over the years,” he said, stressing that such pursuits have been reduced due to policies and legislation in B.C. surrounding the operation of emergency vehicles.
“Now that the region has Air Services support there is less need to engage is the high risk police pursuits,” Carr said.
“The risk to the public outweighs the need to continue to pursue. I feel this is sensationalized by the fact there is video and the way it was cut together.”
Whatever the reason, the video has become popular in Canada and elsewhere in a world where police chases are carried on media sites.
So how would this chase rank in the scale of famous police chases? It’s hard to say, but the novelty of the bike going through a mall is certainly unique.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
We took a look at famous police chases, and it turns out the most famous chase isn’t even the most dramatic.
Can you guess? It involved a white Ford Bronco and a former football star.
#Author: Glenn Johnson
