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Air 1 RCMP Tactical Flight officer Cpl. Curtis Brassington sits inside the cockpit of the aircraft which is based out of Langley airport. The aircraft is one of two helicopters used by police in the Lower Mainland to help track vehicles — often avoiding dangerous ground chases in the process — and search for missing persons, among other functions. One of the most notable air pursuits in recent memory involved a stolen pickup truck, in which the driver raced throughout the Lower Mainland, reaching speeds of 150 km/h, before being boxed in on the Golden Ears Bridge. E VA N S E A L B lack Pre s s
Crime fighters in the sky Take a look inside Langley-based Air 1 Police helicopter EVAN S EAL Bl ack Pre s s
Circling over Surrey on a clear afternoon in February of last year, RCMP Tactical Flight Officer Cpl. Curtis Brassington and his civilian pilot received a call about a stolen pickup truck spotted in Pitt Meadows. An officer had turned on his lights in an attempt to pull over the red full-sized truck, but the driver sped off at a high rate of speed.
Following protocol, the officer pulled to the side of the road — having to watch as the truck headed westbound on Lougheed Highway. He was adhering to a no-pursuit policy put in place to help prevent highspeed collisions involving innocent drivers and pedestrians. That’s when Brassington and Air 1, one of two RCMP helicopters monitoring the skies over the Lower Mainland, picked up the pursuit.
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Within minutes, Air 1 spotted the truck in Coquitlam, barreling 140 km/h down the shoulder of the highway in heavy traffic. When the suspect saw RCMP cruisers in the area, he slammed on his brakes and began speeding in reverse against traffic. However, police were able to lay a down a spike belt that blew out a rear tire. For the next hour-and-a-half, the driver of the stolen truck raced throughout the Lower Mainland, from Maple Ridge to Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley, travelling at speeds upwards of 150 km/h on Highway 1 with Brassington and Air 1 watching from
300 metres (1,000 feet) in the air. When the suspect eventually ended up on the Golden Ears Bridge — facing oncoming traffic and the vehicle’s engine failing — RCMP members were able to box the truck in. However, before it came to a complete stop, the driver jumped from the truck, climbed the fence on the bridge and tried to jump into the river. Officers grabbed one of his legs before he went over the edge and he was taken into custody. Continued Page 3
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