Man pepper-sprays B.C. RCMP officer, steals cruiser

A suspect turned the tables on an RCMP officer in Kelowna early Tuesday, pepper-spraying him in the face and stealing his police cruiser.

The officer signalled the man to stop as he was riding a bicycle in the city at about 2 a.m.

When he tried to flee, the officer used the police car to chase him and caught up to him.

The officer was just about to handcuff the man when his captive suddenly hit him in the face with a blast of pepper spray, which law enforcement officers occasionally use to subdue suspects.

There's no word on whether the suspect was carrying his own pepper spray or he used the police officer's supply.

While the RCMP officer was reeling from the burning spray, the man jumped into the police cruiser and sped away.

The car turned up a short time later, crashed into a shed in a back alley.

Police were still looking for the suspect as of midday Tuesday.