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Suspected thieves in custody after crime spree

Some bikes recovered by police

This past long weekend the RCMP received several complaints related to break-ins to parking garages in the village and Benchlands area as well as break-ins to vehicles and storage lockers. Bikes appear to be the main target but other items were stolen as well.

The RCMP were on alert for suspicious activity and at 4 a.m. on July 5 they noticed a suspicious vehicle driving down Northlands Boulevard with two occupants, and another person pushing a bike down the road. The police arrested the three individuals, including a 42-year-old male from Vancouver, a 30-year-old female from Vancouver and a 30-year-old male from Delta in relation to their ongoing investigation over stolen property. The suspects were found in possession of bikes that were believed to have been stolen and may have been caught on surveillance footage from a hotel that was broken into.

More than a dozen thefts were reported to Whistler police over a few days.

On June 30 at 8:27 a.m., the RCMP received a report from a business in the Benchlands that thieves stole a computer and digital card printer sometime over the previous evening. It's unknown how they entered the building, but once inside they cut the security gate to gain access to the office area.

On July 1 at 7:45 a.m., the RCMP received a call regarding a construction trailer that had been broken into in the Rainbow subdivision. The thief or thieves cut the lock and took a compressor, skill saw, generator, pressure washer and chainsaw, valued at roughly $6,000 in total.

Also that morning the police received a report from the 4600-block of Blackcomb Way regarding a break-in overnight. According to the report, the thief or thieves pried open the door of the parking garage, and then removed a rack and bike from the back of a truck. The rack was found on the site, but it was missing a Red Norco A-Line bike. The police couldn't say what the bike is worth, but the model retails for $4,000.

They received another call from yet another hotel in the Benchlands that morning, with the thief or thieves gaining entry into the parkade by pulling apart the security fence. A vehicle had been broken into, but the owner had already left by the time the police arrived and it's unknown if anything was taken.

At 11:43 a.m. that morning the police received word of two thefts from vehicles in a residential complex on Blackcomb Way, with windows smashed in to gain entry. Some CDs and a cigarette lighter were taken from one vehicle and two passports from the other. It's believed that the thieves asked the parking area through the gate, as the key mechanism was damaged.

Just after midnight on July 2, the police were dispatched to a complex on Northlands regarding a vehicle that had been broken into in the underground parkade. The window was smashed and a purse was taken containing $120 U.S., credit cards and I.D.

At 1:46 p.m. on July 2, the RCMP received a report about a bike theft on Painted Cliff. It appears that the thief or thieves pried open the lock on a vehicle to take a Giant Reign X-1 valued at $3,500.

The police also received a report that a vehicle parked on Alta Lake Road overnight had been broken into, with only a cell phone valued at $40 missing. However, the thief or thieves did significant damage, prying off both door handles trying to gain entry.

On July 3 at 9:55 a.m. the RCMP responded to a call regarding two bikes that had been stolen from a vehicle in the parkade at the 4300-block of Northlands. The thief or thieves did extensive damage to the vehicle trying to break in and took a Specialized Stumpjumper and a Cannondale Scalpel.

Later than day, they received another report of a break-in to a vehicle in the Benchlands where the passenger-side lock had been punched out. A GPS was taken. Police later received another report from the same parking garage that a vehicle had been broken into and a wallet, iPod Touch and personal items taken.

The police then received another complaint from overnight on July 2, with two bikes stolen that were locked up inside a locked bicycle storage in the village. Two Specialized Demo 9 bikes were stolen with an estimated value of $10,000.

On June 3, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. a Rocky Mountain Element mountain bike was stolen from the 3300-block of Ptarmigan Place after the thief or thieves cut through the metal latch of the storage locker.

On June 3 there was another report of theft at Ptarmigan, with two bikes stolen. They were last seen on July 1 at 10 p.m. and on July 3 the owners discovered the loss of two Giant cross-county bikes values at $1,800 and $2,000. One was white and the other orange.

On July 4, the RCMP received a report of another parking garage break-in, which took place between midnight and 8 a.m. A car was broken into and a wallet taken. Later her credit card company called the victim to ask if she was making a purchase at a business in Squamish. There may be security video of the person attempting to use the credit card.

The RCMP don't know how many of these incidents might be related or the work of the suspects - or whether the reports are related to incidents reported the previous week, including one home that was robbed of four bikes - and the investigation is just getting underway. Some bikes have already been recovered.

 

Motorcyclist hits bear on Highway 99

At roughly 10:30 p.m. on July 3 a northbound vehicle on Highway 99 and Meadow Park saw a bear walk onto the road and braked so the bear could pass. He noticed an oncoming motorcycle in the oncoming lane and attempted to warn the driver by flashing his lights, but the driver did not slow down. The motorcyclist hit the bear and was knocked to the ground.

The bear ran into the woods after the accident, and it's not known of it was injured. The motorcycle driver sustained minor bumps and scrapes and damage to his motorcycle was minor.

 

Australian driver in wrong-lane head-on

At 11:27 p.m. on July 2 the driver of an SUV that was heading south near the Wedge Woods development north of Whistler was disoriented with the rain and fog and became confused when he saw the incoming lights of another vehicle heading north. Thinking he was on the wrong side of the road he swerved into the oncoming lane and hit the other vehicle head-on. The passenger in the northbound vehicle was taken to the hospital with two damaged vertebrae and the driver sustained a broken leg.

There was no indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the incident, and the driver has been issued a violation ticket for failing to keep right.

 

Driver may have fallen asleep

At roughly 3:40 p.m. on July 3 the RCMP received a report of a vehicle that had gone off the road just south of Whistler. A BMW carrying four passengers had driven off the road, down the embankment and into a tree, injuring several of the passengers. Two passengers were in serious condition and one was flown to Vancouver in critical condition. The driver was also injured.

The RCMP are investigating whether he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The highway was temporarily closed and then reopened with one lane while emergency crews worked to extricate the occupants of the vehicle.

 

More vehicle vandalism reported in Pemberton

Pemberton has seen more than its share of vehicle vandalism recently, with arson destroying two school buses on June 6 as well as the destruction of buses belonging to a taxi company in 2010.

On June 29 at 7:40 a.m. the RCMP received a call that three commercial trucks - two pickup trucks and a dump truck - had been tagged with orange spray paint on Industrial Way. One vehicle had a fire extinguisher set off in the cab and another had its hood dented and windshield smashed.