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Thief in North Van attempts to drive away loaded auto transport

The suspect, who was trying to commandeer the car trailer, was wrestled out of the cab by the driver.
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A thief attempted to drive off in the cab of a loaded auto transport as it was delivering cars to a dealership in North Vancouver. | Getty Images

A would-be thief who tried to drive away with multiple cars from a dealership in North Vancouver – while they were still loaded on to an auto transport vehicle – had the brakes put on his scheme after being tackled by the transport driver and arrested shortly after the attempt.

The brazen attempt to drive off with the transporter full of brand-new vehicles happened in the early hours Thursday (Oct. 13) in the 1600-block of Marine Drive, where at least two auto dealers are located.

The driver of the transporter was unloading vehicles at about 1:45 a.m. when “he noticed someone inside the vehicle,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak, spokesperson for the North Vancouver RCMP.

Sahak said the man inside the cab was “struggling to drive it away” when the real driver noticed and physically wrestled the would-be rig thief out of the vehicle.

At that point the man fled and the driver called police.

Officers found a suspect matching the description near Capilano Road and Marine Drive. A man in his 40s, from the Squamish area, was arrested for breaching several previous court-ordered conditions and is being held in custody pending charge approval, said Sahak.

“It’s definitely unusual,” said Sahak about the attempted auto transport theft. “We don’t often see something so brazen.”

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