A semi truck ended up in the Fraser River after a police pursuit Wednesday evening through Langley and Surrey, with the suspect taken into custody at the scene. 

Just after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (May 14), officers from the Langley Special Response Team observed a semi truck in the area of 24 Avenue and 206 Street bearing mismatched license plates, an RCMP release said. Shortly after midnight on Thursday (May 15), officers attempted a vehicle stop with the support of Integrated Police Dog Services.

As police lights were activated, the driver, later confirmed to be a 40-year-old man, immediately began ramming police vehicles, successfully striking one, the release continued, adding it was a co-ordinated effort between Langley RCMP, the Surrey Provincial Operational Support Unit (SPOSU) RCMP, and the Lower Mainland District Integrated Emergency Response Team (LMD-IERT) that led to the successful arrest of a suspect "following a dangerous series of events involving a suspected stolen semi-truck."

Despite police attempts to disengage, the suspect continued his aggressive actions by pursuing and intentionally ramming police vehicles before fleeing, the release noted.

A tire deflation device was deployed by SRT which successfully deflated the semi-truck鈥檚 front right tire, but that didn't stop the driver, and the vehicle continued to flee at high speed. The suspect鈥檚 driving behaviour posed a significant risk to public and police safety, so Langley RCMP frontline officers initiated a pursuit to stop the threat, RCMP said. 

The semi-truck then travelled into Surrey, through multiple residential neighbourhoods, with a second spike belt,deployed by RCMP SPOSU, successfully disabled the semi-truck鈥檚 rear tires. Still, the suspect continued to flee, "driving dangerously at high speeds, disregarding red lights, and overtaking multiple vehicles," said the release.

The pursuit led police northbound on 176 Street to Highway 17, and then westbound into the Bridgeview area of Surrey where, in a final "reckless" manoeuvre, the semi truck was driven into a public dock area occupied by several dozen people.

The semi-truck continued off an embankment and into the Fraser River; the suspect then fled the submerged vehicle on foot and was eventually, arrested with the assistance of LMD-IERT a short distance away, said the release.

"This was an incredibly dangerous situation involving a suspect who showed zero regard for public safety or the lives of our officers," Langey RCMP Sgt. Zynal Sharoom said in the release.

"Thanks to the skill, co-ordination, and professionalism of multiple policing units, this individual was safely taken into custody without injury to the public or police."

The suspect remains in police custody pending further investigation.

Anyone with information pertaining to this incident who has not yet spoken with police is asked to contact the Langley RCMP and reference file number 2025-14838.