Vehicle-tracking technology appears to have undermined a pair of auto thieves during a theft in progress in Barrie this morning.
Just after 8 a.m. on Jan. 17, Barrie police were contacted after the pickup's owner, who lives in the northwest of the city, awoke to find his truck had been stolen sometime overnight.
Police say the thieves weren’t aware, but as details of the theft were being received by a call-taker with the Barrie Police Communications Unit, it was determined that the truck was mobile in the city.
The truck was equipped with a tracking system, and when the app was checked it provided exact locations. This allowed responding officers to safely get into position and devise a plan on how to stop the truck, according to police.
With assistance from the truck's owner, police were able to track its movements to the rear of a medical building located on Bayview Drive, south of Big Bay Point Road.
A 38-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, both from Barrie, were arrested after police say they fled from the stolen vehicle.
Police say the investigation remains ongoing and more details will be provided as the investigation permits.
When it comes to vehicle theft, once it is stolen it can be very difficult to locate, police say.
"Although this incident concluded differently, police credit the collaborative demeanour in which information sharing took place, the availability and the use of technology and the ability to work with a member of the community during what was no doubt a stressful 25 minutes while this ordeal was taking place," police stated in a release.
