An off-duty cop from the Lower Mainland helped police make an arrest near Clinton last night, after he witnessed a car being stolen from a gas station in Cache Creek.

According to the Mounties, a Staff Sgt. with the Burnaby RCMP was at the gas station after 8 p.m. last night when a man was chasing his silver Kia Rio out of the parking lot.

That SUV was reportedly being stolen, and the officer followed it northbound on Highway 97 while he was on the phone with police. The driver of the stolen SUV was reportedly driving erratically and swerving into oncoming traffic.

Police eventually used a spike belt to stop the driver near Clinton, who was then arrested without incident.

“This is just one example of how we are always ready to respond to emergencies,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says. “The off-duty officer’s situational awareness, and collaboration with our police dispatchers and Clinton RCMP officers resulted in the safe arrest during a situation which had the potential to harm someone.

Charges are now being recommended against a 34-year-old Williams Lake man. He is out of custody and expected to appear in court on April 30.

O’Donaghey says this is the second time in 10 days police have stopped a stolen vehicle with a spike belt in the Cache Creek – Clinton area. In that case, a woman from 100 Mile House, 44-year-old Diane Priester, was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, assault a police officer with a weapon, resist or obstruct a peace officer, possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of a break-in instrument and 2 counts of breach of a release order.