BC RCMP searching for couple that crashed car with missing wheel, paper licence plate

Police in Coquitlam are searching for a couple that fled the scene of a strange accident.

The single-vehicle crash happened around 8:20 pm on Jan. 8 on the Mary Hill Bypass in Port Coquitlam.

According to police, the couple’s car crashed because it lost a wheel and the bizarre circumstances didn’t end there.

When officers arrived on scene, they found a fake paper licence plate inserted in the plate cover, which an RCMP media release called “one of the worst licence plate forgeries they had ever seen.”

Cpl. Michael McLaughin said that the licence plate seems funny at first, but it’s a serious crime with serious consequences because fake plates usually hide something illegal underneath.

“People with forged plates are often driving with no insurance, or their vehicles are not roadworthy, or both,” McLaughlin explained.

“That’s both unsafe and unfair to other road users who follow the rules and pay their premiums.”

The couple haven’t been seen since fleeing the scene of the crash and their car, a grey 2005 Nissan Altima, was seized for disposal.