Kelowna

Kelowna RCMP are on the lookout for a Kelowna man who rammed a police vehicle while evading capture.

Police say on July 21, members of the RCMP's Crime Reduction Target Team and Property Crimes Unit were in the area of a known drug house in the 500 block of Peck Court.

The members checked the licence plate of a red Ford pickup that was parked in front of the residence.

They noted that the model year of the truck was different from the model year of the truck that the licence plates were registered to.

Police contacted the owner of the plates to find that plates on the owner's truck were missing.

Police checks were completed and it was determined that the vehicle was stolen from Ridge Meadows.

Officers waited a couple of hours and saw a man exit the house and get into the vehicle. They recognized the male who was known for criminal code offences.

Sgt. Ann Morrison says police attempted to box the suspect in by placing unmarked vehicles in front of and behind the truck.

She says a third police car was moving into position near the front when the driver roared towards it, smashing into the driver's side door and fleeing the scene.

Two of the three police vehicles were damaged and all were unmarked. All three police vehicles had their emergency lights activated when they moved into position.

"My vehicle was low to the ground and the pickup was much taller," says Cst. Collier Henneberry.

"All I could see was the truck's grille and I heard the truck's engine roaring and back tires spinning out on the road and the gravel. I honestly believed he (the suspect) was trying to drive over me, and I couldn't get out."

He says the pickup pushed his vehicle far enough that he was able to escape.

For reasons of public safety, police did not pursue, but did alert other police units in the area to watch for the vehicle.

The vehicle was located, abandoned near a mobile home park on Baron Road.

A police dog searched the area but did not find the suspect, Alan Greenlees, who is now wanted on several charges including possession of stolen property over, and under $5,000, flight from police, assault with a weapon (in trying to injure Constable Henneberry), assault police officer and breach of probation from an earlier Criminal Code Offence.

Greenlees, 41, is described as Caucasian, 6'1" tall, with dirty blonde hair. He was wearing a white muscle shirt, black shorts and a black ball cap.

"At one time they (criminals) used vehicles just to escape from police, now they use them as weapons against us (police)," says Henneberry.

Police are asking the public to contact police if Greenlees is seen as he is wanted on a warrant.

Click here to see a photo of Alan Greenlees.