VIDEO: A bad day for car thief as Abby PD pulls perfect PIT manoeuvre before police dog Parx chomps his man
Pursuit through rural Abbotsford ended as police dog service officer successfully knocks driver off road before Parx apprehends a suspect
The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) shared a video Tuesday taken from a police helicopter of a recent pursuit of a stolen vehicle that had a movie-style dramatic ending.
Just after noon on Dec. 9, the APD received a report of a stolen vehicle. Ground units located the vehicle, a white Mazda CX-90 but disengaged and transferred control to the LMD Urban Patrol Helicopter Air 1.
From above, Air 1 tracked the vehicle as the driver continued to operate the small SUV dangerously, while members of the gang crime unit and patrol division co-ordinated efforts on the ground.
It's unclear where the pursuit began but the footage the APD shared appears to show the driver travelling south on Bates Road. As he turns right onto Olund Road, an officer is heard to say they are "set for a spike," referring to a spike belt. There is a report of a "good spike" as the driver continues on Olund picking up speed. He then turns west on Hawkins Road, which ends at Mt. Lehman Road at which time the vehicle turns right.
This is where traffic gets busier, and the driver speeds past a string of four vehicles, two cars, a pickup truck, and as he passes a larger truck he nearly collides head-on with a vehicle travelling southbound.
That driver swerved off the road as the officer most clearly heard speaking from the helicopter says, "Ooohh, OK, he's arrestible for dangerous op for sure."
The Mazda then turns left on Harris Road, then north on Ross Road, then west on 58 Avenue. He continues west past Bradner Road then Beatty Avenue, through curves surrounded by forest and farmland when the roadway becomes 56 Avenue.
"There's a bunch of smoke from the right rear," an officer is heard saying.
At this point the driver fleeing police is approaching the busier industrial/commercial area near 272 Street not far from the border of Langley at 276 Street.
"I'm going to PIT this car," a member of the Integrated Police Dog Service is heard saying as police vehicles in pursuit gain on the driver. Just before 275 Street, the officer engages in the PIT manoeuvre by hitting the right rear panel of the stolen Mazda successfully forcing it into a spin. The vehicle goes diagonally backwards off the road coming to a stop backwards in the ditch next to parked cars at a factory.
Then the driver gets out and flees northbound on foot pursued by several officers, including police service dog Parx who apprehends him no more than 20 metres from the vehicle.
"This incident highlights how teamwork in policing ensures offenders are held accountable and brought before the courts," according to an APD social media post accompanying the vehicle. "Keeping our community safe remains our top priority. Forty-year-old Dale MacPherson has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and flight from police."
MacPherson had a first appearance in Abbotsford provincial court on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. He was detained in custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing on Friday, Dec. 19.
Dale Christopher MacPherson has a lengthy criminal record dating back nearly 20 years, mostly in North Vancouver but also in Kelowna and Port Alberni. Eighteen years ago he and a Tyler Munro McTavish, also born 1985, were charged with break and enter with intent for an incident in Mission. McTavish was found guilty of a lesser-included charge and sentenced to six months jail with four months credit for time served followed by 18 months probation. MacPherson's file was, for some reason, transferred out of province, according to court services online information.
MacPherson received 180 days jail for two convictions for possession of stolen property in Port Alberni in 2023. Before that he got 275 days for resisting arrest in West Kelowna in 2021, and a similar sentence for break and enter and two counts of assault with a weapon. Prior to that he has half a dozen criminal files from North Vancouver prior to 2010. There is a 10-year gap in his prolific offending, which suggests a period of time spent out of the province.
PIT hits late night circuit
Somewhat oddly, the precision immobilization technique (PIT) hit the late-night circuit recently as it was featured on the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in early November.
Here it is:
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Paul J. Henderson
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