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Police dog helps nab violent offender after he flees from police on Vancouver Island

Multi-unit effort needed to apprehend John Wesley Shaw, 44, in Nanaimo Monday
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(Black Press file)

A man with a history of violent offences, that fled from police, was arrested in a takedown on Vancouver Island Monday.

According to a press release, Nanaimo RCMP were alerted by their counterparts from North Cowichan that they had attempted to arrest John Wesley Shaw, 44, on Aug. 10, but he had managed to escape in a stolen vehicle. It was believed that he was in Nanaimo on central Vancouver Island.

Police say Shaw has a history of violence and dangerous driving offences and because of that, members of Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, RCMP Air Service and Police Dog Services were mobilized. According to Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, Shaw had “blatantly refused to stop for marked police vehicles and showed a total disregard for the safety of the public. For those reasons, the extras resources were brought in to effectively manage this potentially dangerous situation.”

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The search for Shaw ended at 6 a.m. Monday, when he was located, along with two women, sisters Brandi Poirier, 35, and Angela Poirier, 40, who are both of no fixed address, said O’Brien.

Shaw attempted to flee from police and in doing so received several dog bites from Jager, a police dog, said O’Brien. The two women were taken into custody without incident. The vehicle in question, a Ford F-150, was confirmed stolen from Langford on July 21. It was subsequently seized and later searched for evidence. Following his arrest, Shaw was taken to local hospital where he was treated for several dog bites, then transported to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, O’Brien said, with the two women arrested and also taken into custody at the local detachment.

After searching the vehicle, police found night-vision goggles, an extendable baton, a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, a small quantity of illegal drugs, cellphones and other stolen items, according to the press release.

Ten charges were laid against Shaw, including four counts of possession of stolen property, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a count of occupying a motor vehicle while knowing it contained a firearm.

Angela Poirier’s charges include a firearm-related charge and possession of stolen property and Brandi Poirier’s charges include a firearm charge and possessing a controlled substance.

Brandi Poirier’s next court date is Sept. 24 in provincial court in Nanaimo.


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