Crime spree comes to an end

Update -- Dec. 11

The man accused of going on a car-stealing spree last week is now facing more than a dozen charges in a Port Coquitlam court.

Kenny Ottesen, 32, was arrested in Vancouver on Friday after allegedly ramming a stolen BMW into police cruisers.

He has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, five counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, two counts of robbery, two counts of disguise with intent, three counts of hit and run, and one count of causing a police pursuit.

The RCMP had been chasing Ottesen after he allegedly stole a car in Surrey, then another in Coquitlam, and finally the BMW in Richmond.

Police said they became aware of the incident shortly after 8 a.m. on Dec. 5, when a woman called Surrey RCMP to report that her 1995 Honda Civic had been stolen from her driveway in the 16000-block of 88th Avenue. She had left the car running while she went inside to get a coffee.

Roughly an hour later, Coquitlam RCMP received a call about a vehicle theft in progress in the 700-block of Clearwater Way. The suspect had stolen a 2008 Kia and left behind the stolen Honda Civic.

Police allege that Ottesen drove the Kia through Burnaby and Vancouver before dumping it in the 5800-block of Dover Crescent in Richmond, where he allegedly stole the BMW.

The incident ended when the BMW collided with Vancouver Police Department vehicles at the intersection of Fraser Street and Southeast Marine Drive.

Ottesen was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

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Original story -- Dec. 5

A shocking crime spree spanning from Surrey to Vancouver and involving multiple stabbings, shoplifting and a carjacking has ended in a dramatic police takedown.

CTV Vancouver reports that Mounties were called to a Safeway in Surrey around 9:30 a.m. Friday with reports that a shoplifter had stabbed two employees and ran.

He allegedly jumped into a nearby car and took off with a man still inside.

After calling in police resources from across the Lower Mainland, including Emergency Response Teams and the RCMP Air 1 helicopter, authorities managed to locate the vehicle in South Vancouver.

Armed Vancouver police officers assisted by dog squad members stormed the area of Cambie Street and Kent Avenue and apprehended a suspect around 10:30 a.m.

Video taken at the scene by CTV News shows a Volkswagen with its doors open turned around on the grassy shoulder of the road, and an unmarked police vehicle touching its front bumper.

“This dynamic incident highlights the coordinated efforts of several police resources,” RCMP Sgt. Dale Carr said in a statement.

“Thanks to the quick response and cooperation of our partners, we were able to successfully arrest the suspect in less than 60 minutes.”

The stabbed Safeway employees suffered non-life threatening injuries and the carjacking victim was unharmed. Police said he managed to jump out of the vehicle while it was stopped in traffic.

The 32-year-old suspect, remains in police custody. He is facing a number of criminal charges as a result of his alleged actions.