Police in Fort St. John, B.C., arrest 39-year-old man after ‘day-long manhunt’

A RCMP vehicle is pictured on July 3, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith)

Drones, police dogs and a chase involving a side-by-side vehicle were elements of a day-long manhunt that led to the arrest of a man in northern B.C. on Thursday.

According to an RCMP release, an emergency response team, police dogs, and Mounties utilizing an armoured vehicle were called to a residence in Fort St. John just before 10 a.m. to search for a man wanted on various warrants.

Thirty-nine-year-old Johnathon Michael Peters was wanted on warrants for uttering threats, mischief over $5,000, refusal to provide a sample, obstructing a peace officer, and breach of a release order.

Armed with a Feeney warrant, which authorizes police to enter a dwelling-house to arrest a person believed to be inside, the crews entered the home, only to find Peters had already fled the area. Additional information suggested he was in Taylor, a B.C. community around a 20-minute drive away, the release said.

Just before noon, emergency response teams attempted a traffic stop in Taylor on a side-by-side vehicle which Peters was believed to be driving. The side-by-side fled into the Peace Island Park area and was monitored by a tracking team, drones and air services until became inoperable while on an island in the Pine River.

At around 2 p.m., Peters was arrested.

“This was a dynamic and lengthy incident,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Watson, of the Fort St John RCMP, in the release.

“The outstanding coordination between multiple RCMP units enabled them to safely locate and arrest this individual.”

Peters faces additional charges for flight from a peace officer, dangerous operation of a conveyance and obstructing a peace officer.