The arrest of nine people yesterday shows that if you’re in a stolen car in Vancouver, there is a good chance you’ll be caught by the VPD.

The first case started when a VPD K-9 officer found a stolen Chevy Trex parked on Slocan Street near East 6th Avenue at about 1:00 p.m. The car was taken with the keys that were in a gym bag stolen at a public pool in Vancouver three days earlier. The officer was able to block the vehicle and challenge the driver and passengers as other officers arrived. The 18-year-old driver, along with his four passengers — one who was found in the rear hatch — were all taken into custody without incident.

The second happened shortly after 11:00 p.m. in the Marpole area, where extra officers were on patrol due to an increase in stolen cars in the area. They observed a man and a woman get into a black Audi TT, leave the area at a high rate of speed, and race over the Oak Street Bridge. The car had been stolen the previous day from the Richmond Ikea parking lot, but the couple did not see the police, and it was determined that it was not safe to pursue them. Instead, police waited.

Their patience would pay off. Forty-five minutes later, officers observed the same vehicle and same couple drive back over the bridge. When they parked the stolen Audi and exited the car, they were challenged by police and a K-9 officer. The 34-year-old woman gave up immediately. Her 35-year-old companion, the driver of the stolen car, decided to flee. He was treated for dog bites to his arm before being taken to jail.

The last case occurred just before midnight when police received several 9-1-1 calls about a man seen running from a pick-up truck that had crashed at the north end of the Oak Street Bridge. The truck had been reported stolen from an underground parking lot in Delta earlier that morning. A dog track and other 9-1-1 calls led to discarded clothing and a nearby apartment building.

A naked 34-year-old man was arrested in a third floor hallway without incident. Charges related to possession of the stolen truck and for breaking into the apartment building have been recommended.