One of B.C.’s Top 10 most wanted car thieves was arrested on Thursday by the Penticton RCMP.
Jordan Brown and another male were seen escaping from a window at the rear of a residence on the Penticton Indian Reserve by RCMP, who had been dispatched to a disturbance Thursday evening.
One of the officers recognized Brown and a brief foot chase ensued. Brown was arrested without incident, making a brief court appearance on Friday, before being remanded into custody.
Cpl. Martin Trudeau said Brown had seven outstanding warrants for his arrest stemming from several charges including theft under and over $5,000, robbery while wearing a face mask, possession of a knife for the purpose of committing an offence and breach of undertaking.
Brown was included in the list of B.C.’s top 10 most wanted car thieves released earlier this year by the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team.
In March, Penticton RCMP reported a drop in vehicle theft and automobile break-ins since a number of prolific offenders had gone underground.
“I know we have some prolific offenders that have been targeted by our community safety team, and with those prolific offenders either being incarcerated and/or being on the run, or currently at large, they are remaining very low-profile right now. I think that plays into the part of the reduction we have seen here,” said Cpl. Ted Manchulenko.
Part of the decrease was also due to the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT). There was five per cent fewer vehicle theft incidents and 24 per cent fewer break-ins in 2011 compared to 2010. The bait car program introduced in 2003 also has been effective in Penticton said Manchulenko. According to RCMP there were 34 per cent fewer vehicle thefts and 69 per cent fewer break-ins since that program was introduced to Penticton.