VPD officers drew guns on a man driving his own car after it showed as stolen in police records
Vancouver Police pulled over a registered vehicle owner near 33rd Avenue and Victoria Drive after his car still appeared as stolen because he had not reported recovering it.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on vancouver.citynews.ca.
Vancouver Police officers drew their firearms on a man near 33rd Avenue and Victoria Drive on Thursday after his car showed as stolen in police records. The driver was the registered owner of the vehicle, Constable Megan Lui of the VPD confirmed to CityNews Vancouver.
Officers were on patrol in the area when they noticed a car with one front tire sitting at an unusual angle. They ran the licence plate. The database showed the vehicle as a stolen car. Officers initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, the car struck another vehicle. Officers drew their firearms at some point in the encounter.
The man behind the wheel turned out to be the registered owner. He had recovered the car after a previous theft but had never reported the recovery to police. The database still showed the vehicle as stolen because no one had updated the record.
Nobody was injured.
Why the record still showed the car as stolen
When a vehicle is reported stolen, police enter it into a shared database. If the owner gets the car back and does not tell police, that entry stays in place. Any officer who runs the plate will see a stolen vehicle.
VPD spokesperson Constable Lui confirmed that this is what happened in Thursday's stop. The man had his own car back in his possession but had not made a call to clear the record.
What Vancouver residents should do
VPD says vehicle owners should report to police when they recover a stolen car. One call or an in-person visit to a VPD district office removes the vehicle from the stolen-car record.
A car that still appears as stolen in the database can result in a traffic stop, and officers who believe they are approaching a stolen vehicle may take precautions including drawing firearms. Thursday's stop ended without anyone being hurt, but the situation shows why updating the record matters.
If your vehicle was stolen and you got it back, call the VPD non-emergency line at 604-717-3321 or visit a district office to report the recovery.
Questions this story answers
What happened in this incident?
Vancouver Police officers were patrolling near 33rd Avenue and Victoria Drive on Thursday, October 30, when they spotted a vehicle with one front tire sitting at an unusual angle. They ran the licence plate and the result showed the car as a stolen vehicle. Officers stopped the car and drew their firearms. The driver turned out to be the registered owner of the vehicle. Nobody was injured.
Why did police have the car listed as stolen?
The car had been stolen at some point before this incident. The owner recovered the vehicle but never told police that he had it back. Because no one reported the recovery, the police database still showed the car as stolen. Constable Megan Lui of the Vancouver Police Department confirmed the details of the incident.
Was the driver arrested?
CityNews Vancouver did not report that the driver was charged or arrested. Police confirmed the man was the registered owner of the vehicle. The story does not say he faced any charges arising from the stop.
What should I do if my stolen car is recovered?
Vancouver Police say owners should report to VPD when they get a stolen vehicle back. This clears the record in the police database. A car that still shows as stolen can result in a traffic stop and officers drawing weapons, as happened in this case. You can report to VPD by phone or in person at a district office.
Where did this happen?
The stop happened near 33rd Avenue and Victoria Drive in Vancouver, on Thursday October 30, 2026. Officers were on patrol in the neighbourhood when they noticed the vehicle. They ran the licence plate, saw it listed as stolen, and pulled the car over. The driver was the registered owner who had recovered the vehicle after a previous theft but had not reported the recovery.
Was anyone hurt?
Nobody was injured. CityNews Vancouver reported that the stop ended without anyone being hurt. Officers drew their firearms during the encounter, but the situation was resolved after police confirmed the driver was the registered owner of the vehicle. The car also struck another vehicle during the stop, but no injuries were reported from that either.
Does this happen to other Vancouver drivers?
VPD did not say how often stops like this happen. The department released details of this case to remind vehicle owners to report recoveries. Failing to update police records after getting a stolen car back can lead to a situation like this one, where officers approaching a vehicle listed as stolen take precautions they would not need to take if the record had been cleared.
How do I contact Vancouver Police to report a recovered stolen vehicle?
You can reach the Vancouver Police Department non-emergency line at 604-717-3321. You can also go in person to any VPD district office. Have the vehicle's licence plate and your identification ready. Reporting the recovery takes the vehicle out of the stolen-vehicle records.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- CityNews Vancouver: VPD draws guns on man driving own carvancouver.citynews.ca
- Vancouver Police Department: contact and reportingvpd.ca
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