Kamloops robbery suspect swims up river to escape after alleged ATM theft: police

Mounties in Kamloops say two men jumped into the Thompson River after an alleged ATM theft on Friday, June 26. They explain that one was arrested, but the other escaped up river. (Kamloops RCMP)

Mounties in Kamloops, B.C., say they’ve arrested one man and are searching for another after the two allegedly stole and emptied an ATM from a pub.

Police say they were called to a pub on Westsyde Road just after 3:30 p.m. on Friday after hearing that two men came into the pub and stole an ATM before driving off in an allegedly stolen truck. The truck and ATM were eventually recovered, according to police, but the money inside had already been taken.

With the help of a police dog, Mounties say “two males matching the suspects” were found and followed until both “entered” the Thompson River. Police say they arrested one of them shortly after they got in the river, but the other swam across and “remains outstanding.”

“Police officers flooded the ground and the river, with assistance Kamloops Fire and Rescue, however the suspect was not located, despite significant searching,” reads a release from the Kamloops RCMP.

Mounties have described their alleged suspect as a balding white man with a beard and sleeve tattoos on his right arm and shoulder. They have asked anyone in the north Thompson River area to watch for the man and “immediately call police” if they see him.