Two people are in custody after a lengthy police chase south of Prince Albert on March 12.
At about noon, RCMP officers located a white Ford pickup trying to pull another vehicle out of the ditch. Officers suspected the truck may have been stolen earlier in the day, but the theft had not been confirmed at the time.
As officers approached in their vehicle, the white truck stopped trying to remove the other vehicle form the ditch and drove away. The RCMP officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop by activating its emergency equipment.
The white truck pulled into a yard site, and allegedly started heading towards the police car as if it was going to ram the vehicle.
A few feet away, the suspects veered around the police cruiser and continued south on Highway 11. The truck then allegedly stopped, and reversed into the police, hitting the police vehicle hard enough to cause the passenger airbag to go off, disabling the car.
The truck then fled into the rural area around MacDowall, where officers lost sight of the suspects.
Several RCMP detachments including officers from Wakaw, Rosthern, Blaine Lake, Shellbrook and Prince Albert, became involved with the search. the Saskatoon Police Air Support Unit and the Provincial Response Team also joined in the hunt for the suspects. Prince Albert police set up at the city limits in case the pickup headed back towards the city.
A provincial response team member spotted the truck and began to pursue it north of Duck Lake.
Air support then found the vehicle and coordinated with ground units. RCMP officers were put into position to use a spike belt. Shortly after the truck hit the spike belt, it pulled into a farmyard and the occupants allegedly tried to steal another vehicle.
Officers arrested two adults, a man and a woman, at the property without incident. Officers recovered a loaded .22 calibre rifle that they determined was thrown from the truck at some point during the chase.
No one was hurt, and according to a press release, the successful arrest was the result of cooperation between the various law enforcement agencies. The divisional operations communication centre was also involved, directing responding units into the area to ensure the suspects couldn’t escape.
The incident is still under investigation. More details will be provided as they are made available.
