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Mental health issue suspected after spike belts end Island Highway car chase

Woman in her 30s detained after Tuesday afternoon incident in Lantzville
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A car chase Tuesday afternoon on the Island Highway ended after a motorist was stopped by spike belts at Ware Road in Lantzville. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

A car chase from Parksville to Lantzville ended with a woman being detained under the Mental Health Act.

RCMP from Oceanside, Nanaimo and Central Island Traffic Services were involved in the incident Tuesday afternoon on the Island Highway, in which a motorist was stopped by spike belts at Ware Road in Lantzville.

Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the incident started at a gas station in the Parksville area.

“People reported to the police that they believed she may be being held hostage in her vehicle, because of her erratic behaviour and things that she had said,” O’Brien said.

He said the spike belts shredded the tires of the woman’s Chevrolet Cobalt and caused her to pull over.

“At that time we realized there were probably some mental health issues at play at which point she was [detained] under the Mental Health Act and then taken for an assessment,” he said.

O’Brien said no one was hurt in the incident and police tried to make sure vehicle traffic wasn’t impacted.