An emergency alert was issued in La Ronge on Sunday after a firearm was discharged at police, leading to the arrest of multiple people.
Around 11:30 a.m., two La Ronge RCMP officers were conducting patrols in the community when a black car drove past their vehicle at a high rate of speed. The officers activated their emergency equipment to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued driving and turned into a driveway at a residence on the 100 block of Far Reserve Road.
One RCMP officer followed the male driver of the vehicle who fled the area on foot. The second officer was outside of the police truck when a second male exited the car with a firearm and shot in the direction of the officer. The RCMP officer also discharged their firearm.
A bullet went through the windshield of the police truck and a second bullet hit the front radiator.
The two officers moved to a safe location and more RCMP arrived as backup.
According to an RCMP media release, a gathering was taking place at the residence where the suspect’s vehicle was parked. Multiple people exited the home and were arrested, including a man and woman that were inside the black car and went inside the house after the firearms were discharged.
A third female from the black car is still unaccounted for.
Given the serious nature of the incident, an emergency alert was broadcasted to the public notifying them of a dangerous person with a firearm in the La Ronge area at 12:29 p.m.
An alert update with more information was later issued at 1:40 p.m. Included in the update was a message to a drone operator in the area to stop flying above the RCMP officers on scene.
“While we understand the public’s interest in serious incidents, its presence and unknown intent impacted police officer safety,” reads the RCMP media release.
Drone activity ceased shortly after the message was broadcasted and a RCMP officer on scene called out on a loud hailer.
At 4:30 p.m., the RCMP Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) arrived at the scene to assist. As a result of the CIRT’s response, two males and one female exited the residence and were arrested.
Officers arrested 17 people in total in relation to this incident. As a result of continued investigation, 15 people have been released without charges and determined not to be involved.
RCMP say the investigation is ongoing and more updates will be provided as they become available.
The whereabouts of three individuals – the initial male that fled on foot, the male who discharged the firearm and a female occupant of the car, have not been located.
Around 4:30 p.m., La Ronge RCMP received a report of two people trying to get inside a residence on Cook Crescent, approximately seven kilometres away from the original incident. Officers responded immediately and after a foot chase, two youth were arrested. The youths were not charged after investigation determined this was unrelated to the incident on Far Reserve Road.
The emergency alert was cancelled by the Saskatchewan RCMP at 5:35 p.m.
Police are now requesting the public’s assistance to help identify one of the suspects involved in this incident.
Suspect one is described as a man with short dark hair with shaved sides. He was wearing dark pants, a dark shirt with gold patterns down the sleeves and dark runners.
If seen, do not approach him and contact police immediately.
Police continue to ask the public to be vigilant and report any tips and information related to this incident by calling La Ronge RCMP at 306-425-6730. Anyone with information can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously and may be eligible for a reward.
No RCMP officers were injured during this incident and no other injuries have been reported to police.
The Prince Albert RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) has taken charge of the ongoing investigation, with assistance from other GIS units in Yorkton, Saskatoon, and Regina. There will be a continued police presence on Far Reserve Road due to this incident.
“In conjunction with this call for service our La Ronge RCMP officers responded to, there was a Children’s Festival happening in the community, garage sales and people enjoying the sunny weekend weather. La Ronge RCMP received an additional six calls for service in the same time period they were managing this dangerous situation,” shares S/Sgt. Dean Bridle, La Ronge RCMP Detachment Commander.
“Police officers were also following up on tips from the public as a result of the emergency alerts. When an incident is unfolding, there is a lot going on and many risk factors our responding police officers must consider, the scope of which are far-reaching and public and police officer safety must always be top of mind. I am grateful for the kind words our detachment received from members of our community following the conclusion of the incident and thank the people we encountered yesterday who cooperated with police and followed direction,” he continued.
“We didn’t want anyone to be hurt. We hope the information we are releasing today gives the public more insight into the seriousness of what occurred.”