Photo: CTV/Warren Hobart

The man behind the wheel of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash Monday on Highway 3 east of Hope may have been involved in a robbery.

CTV reports his female passenger, who died in the crash, may have been an accomplice.

Police believe the two were involved in an early morning robbery at Ted Allan's Jewellery in Nelson. About $30,000 worth of merchandise was stolen.

"We don't believe that the events are directly related to each other, but we do feel very strongly that the same parties are involved," Sgt. Nate Holt of the Nelson Police Department told CTV.

Holt said the suspect has been identified, but the name of the man is not being released. He said investigators also believe the woman who died in the crash, Danielle "Deedee" Charlton, was also involved.

Police say the suspects are believed to have fled in a stolen Chevrolet Equinox. A similar vehicle was involved in the crash near Hope.

Following the crash, the male suspect fled the scene, stealing a BC Wildfire Service truck from an employee who stopped to assist.

– with files from CTV Vancouver