Photo: Flickr file photo

A woman is now in custody following a vehicle theft in West Kelowna early Thursday morning.

At approximately 7:45 a.m., the owner of a red 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck briefly left the vehicle running outside their home on Doucette Drive while they went inside to grab their wallet.

During this short moment, the truck was stolen by a suspect.

Around 9:15 a.m., the satellite radio company tracking the truck provided GPS coordinates, indicating to police that the truck was parked in East Kelowna.

Officers along with a canine unit and police helicopters responded and located the vehicle.

Police say a traffic stop was attempted, but the lone driver, a woman, fled from police at a high rate of speed, damaging a police vehicle.

“No pursuit was initiated, and fortunately, no officers were injured,” Kelowna RCMP said in a news release.

Just after 10 a.m., the stolen truck was stopped in the area of Pacific Ave., and Gordon Dr., where the suspect ran away but was arrested shortly after.

Police say the woman remains in custody and will appear in court for several offenses, including possession of stolen property and flight from police.

“This demonstrates how invaluable having air assets in our detachment area are,” said Cpl. Michael Gauthier.

“It’s unclear if this particular vehicle was being targeted or if this was strictly an opportunistic theft. However, it serves as a reminder to be very mindful if you are going to be leaving your vehicle running, even if only momentarily. Thankfully, this owner reported the incident to police immediately, and the vehicle was equipped with the technology to locate it."