Vancouver man sentenced to 12½ months in jail after fleeing traffic stop and dragging officer

A 57-year-old Vancouver man has been sentenced to 12½ months in jail over a 2024 incident that left a B.C. Highway Patrol officer seriously injured. Tobin Haas pleaded guilty in March to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm and driving while suspended. He was sentenced last month, according to a statement issued by the highway patrol on Wednesday.

The charges arose from a traffic stop in Delta on Feb. 17, 2024. At about 10:30 a.m., an officer stopped a grey Nissan on Highway 91 near 72 Avenue because the driver was suspected of having an outstanding arrest warrant, police said. Haas was alone in the car. When the officer asked for his driver’s licence, Haas sped away, dragging the officer, the statement said.

Sgt. Michael McLaughlin said investigators reviewed CCTV footage and police radio recordings, obtained search warrants and took witness statements, including one from the injured officer. He urged drivers who are stopped by police not to make matters worse by fleeing.

Haas was also charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and resisting or obstructing a peace officer. Both charges were stayed, according to online court records. In addition to jail time, Haas received a three-year driving prohibition and a two-year probation order. McLaughlin said people who are pulled over are almost certainly recorded on camera and that waiting for the court process is safer for everyone.