An RV seized after the couple driving tried to switch seats and avoid charges on April 14, 2026. (Image Credit: AbbyPD)
The Old Switcheroo

Abbotsford couple charged after seat-swapping in RV to avoid arrest

Apr 18, 2026 | 4:12 PM

ABBOTSFORD — Abbotsford police have been dumbfounded after a local couple tried to pull a switcheroo mid-drive to avoid catching charges – only to end up getting them anyway.

On April 14, officers with the Street Order Response Team tried to pull over a motorhome on Whatcom Road when they noticed the licence plates didn’t belong to the vehicle.

Instead of stopping, the motorhome lightly rear-ended another vehicle and kept going.

The motorhome was stopped shortly after, where a 51-year-old woman was arrested in the driver’s seat.

Police then noticed that the woman had a valid driver’s licence and no apparent reason to run from police, but her 60-year-old male passenger – who was “seated awkwardly facing the driver’s seat and wasn’t wearing a seatbelt” – did.

A licence check revealed that he was a prohibited driver.

“The theory was that the man had been driving, jumped out of the driver’s seat while the motorhome was still moving, and had the woman slide in to take the wheel,” said AbbyPD. “Creative? Maybe. Successful? Not so much.”

Officers eventually found video showing the man driving moments before the incident.

Both individuals have been charged with flight and obstruction, with the man also charged with prohibited driving.

The RV was also seized.