RCMP arrested a man wanted on 39 charges on June 2 after a police pursuit in the Airdrie area.
At 7:23 p.m., Calgary police noticed a red truck driving suspiciously in a southeast industrial area. The police officers determined the vehicle was stolen. Calgary police attempted to halt the truck but the driver did not stop. HAWCS Air Services was contacted and followed the vehicle from above.
At 7:54 p.m., RCMP was notified the suspect vehicle was entering the Airdrie area. RCMP officers from multiple sections responded. As the vehicle approached Township Road 270 and Range Road 285, an RCMP officer was able to deploy a spike belt.
Initial reports indicate the suspect attempted to flag down and approach another vehicle after the stolen truck sustained substantial damage from the spike belt. The citizen did not allow the suspect to get to close and fled the area.
The suspect then returned to his damaged vehicle and continued west on Yankee Valley Boulevard. The vehicle had very little control, struck curbs and drifted into oncoming lanes of traffic. The truck then struck a white van at the intersection of Yankee Valley Boulevard and Luxstone Boulevard. The only occupant in the van was a male driver who did not require medical treatment on scene.
The suspect’s vehicle was rendered inoperable due to the collision and the suspect left the truck. He attempted to open the door of a red minivan parked in the 7-Eleven parking lot.
“Members of the Airdrie RCMP and the Calgary Police Service were able to quickly arrest the suspect before he could enter any other vehicles,” said Const. Robert Frizzell.
The suspect is a 26-year-old man with no fixed address. He currently has pending charges on several outstanding warrants from Medicine Hat, Regina and Calgary. The suspect had been released on a recognizance with various conditions including not being in a vehicle without the registered owner present. Airdrie RCMP and Calgary Police Service will be charging the man with 15 additional charges and various other traffic offences.
“The safe apprehension of this individual was as a result of a well-coordinated team effort between the Calgary Police Service, the Calgary Police HAWCS helicopter and the Airdrie RCMP. Through the use of a ‘patched’ or ‘linked’ radio systems all agencies were able to pool their resources and safely apprehend this suspect,” said Frizzell.
Police are requesting the driver of a white pick-up that was approached by the suspect on Township Road 270 and the owner of the red minivan in the 7-Eleven parking lot to contact Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200.
