Police arrest pair who rammed occupied Police vehicle

On March 7th, 2023, shortly before 7:00 p.m., a frontline officer with the Keremeos RCMP Detachment was on routine patrol when he observed a suspicious vehicle known to police. When the officer activated their emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle, the suspect fled at a high rate of speed. The officer stopped their car, and did not continue to follow the suspect.

A short while later, the officer observed the same vehicle driving down 3rd Avenue, a dead-end road. The officer initiated his emergency lights and sirens again. The suspect conducted a U-turn, and drove back toward the officer’s vehicle, colliding with it. In a further attempt to escape, the suspect reversed onto a homeowner’s lawn, and ultimately got stuck on a tree stump.

The officer safely arrested Blake Dunstall, 39-years-old, along with his 35-year-old female passenger, both from Princeton, BC.

This highlights the dangerous job our officers do everyday to keep our communities safe, says Cpl. Chad Parsons, Keremeos Detachment Commander. The member involved in this occurrence acted according to his training, which took a career criminal safely into custody.

Charges of possession of illegal drugs for the purpose of trafficking, along with assaulting a police officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, resisting arrest, failing to comply with a probation order, driving while suspended, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose have all been approved by the BC Prosecution Service.