BC Highway Patrol arrests passenger fleeing from traffic stop

Port Alberni, BC Highway Patrol

2022-02-09 07:45 PST

On January 22, 2022 at approximately 4:00 PM, an officer with BC Highway Patrol Parksville was on routine patrol on the Pacific Rim Highway (Highway 4) near Port Alberni, BC. The officer received an ALPR (Automatic Licence Plate Reader) hit on a BC licence plate which showed that the registered owner was prohibited from driving.

The officer initiated a traffic stop and before the vehicle came to a stop, a man exited the passenger side door and ran into the bushes above the highway. The identity of the man was obtained from the woman driving the car and further computer checks indicated that the man had two outstanding warrants for his arrest as well as multiple outstanding charges out of the Lower Mainland area.

Additional BCHP officers and members of the local Detachment searched the area for the man and located him in the passenger seat of an unrelated vehicle leaving the area. Rylee Andrew Shipley of Langley, BC was subsequently taken into custody by a BCHP officer.

Upon review of the police car’s in-car video, it appeared Shipley had a gun in his hand when he fled the vehicle, yet it was not found on him when he was arrested. A search team was formed to scour the probable route Shipley was believed to have taken when he fled the initial traffic stop. The search team recovered a loaded .45 calibre handgun and further tests will be conducted to determine if it can be positively connected to Shipley. The gun was reported stolen in Surrey in 2019.

Shipley is well-known to police. He was remanded to custody on his outstanding warrants and new charges stemming from the traffic stop. In addition, he faces charges for breaching his release conditions stemming from several outstanding charges in the Lower Mainland.

The vehicle from which Shipley fled was impounded and the woman found driving it is facing charges of driving while prohibited.

BCHP officers have to be prepared for anything when they stop a vehicle, says the Unit Commander of BCHP in Parksville. In this case, a stop to check a driver for a licence turned into a short manhunt for a violent, prolific offender which came to a peaceful end without injuries or property damage. In addition, getting a loaded gun out of the hands of a known criminal is the icing on the cake and demonstrates how BCHP officers are making our highways safer together.

Released by

Cpl. Mike Halskov

Email: E_BCHP_Media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Follow Us:

bcrcmpnews

@BCHwyPatrol
@bcrcmp

@bcrcmp