MAN PRAISED FOR HELPING POLICE IN BORDER CHASE

RCMP are commending a Canadian man for helping them pursue a driver
who led police on a wild chase that criss-crossed from B.C. into
Washington state and then back into B.C.

The incident began at 10:29 a.m. yesterday after a red Ford Explorer
with B.C. licence plates got stuck after crossing a ditch into the
U.S. about five kilometres west of the Aldergrove border crossing.

U.S. Border Patrol agents were able to observe the vehicle with a
camera and dispatched patrol vehicles to check it out.

Before they could arrive, the Explorer, its wheels spinning, freed
itself and fled west toward Blaine, Wash., with police in pursuit.

Because the vehicle was driving too fast for police, the chase was
called off but a police helicopter was able to follow the Explorer.

Police set up spike belts but the vehicle sped through, blowing out
three of its tires. It turned north and crashed through a barrier at
the Pacific Highway border crossing back into B.C. at speeds of up to
100 km/h.

A Canadian citizen turned his vehicle around and chased the Explorer,
dialing 911 and keeping RCMP informed of the vehicle's
whereabouts.

The unidentified citizen followed the Explorer, which was driving on
three rims, until it was abandoned in the 18400-block 18th Avenue.

Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields said the driver ran into an area of
dense bush but was spotted about 500 metres away by an officer who
recognized him as a previous offender.

He called the Canadian citizen a "hero" for helping police in the
chase.

The 31-year-old driver of the Explorer faces multiple charges on both
sides of the border but will have his Canadian charges dealt with
first, said Shields.

Inside the Explorer, RCMP seized about 68 kilograms of marijuana --
about 270,000 joints. The RCMP's Integrated Border Enforcement Team
has taken over the investigation.

Joe Giuliano, assistant chief of the U.S. Border Patrol in Blaine,
said the suspect, whose name wasn't released, is known to have been
involved in drugs.