The Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) assisted in the arrest of a driver and passenger of a stolen vehicle on Sept. 27.
Airdrie RCMP were advised of a stolen vehicle leaving Calgary at around 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 27, travelling northbound on Highway 2 towards Airdrie.
The vehicle, a silver Ford F-350, was believed to have been involved in numerous criminal offenses in Calgary and was being followed by a HAWCS helicopter.
ìOur job was to maintain surveillance and to maintain public safety,î said Cpl. Darrin Turnbull of the Airdrie ITU. ìWe want to make sure thereís no chase and we followed from about a kilometre back and out-of-sight.î
Once officers were able to confirm that the vehicle they were following was the one in question, a spike belt was deployed near the Olds overpass.
The F-350 lost both its front tires after running over the belt, but the driver continued to drive northbound on Highway 2.
The vehicle became inoperable near the City of Red Deer and the 28-year-old female and 28-year-old male passengers exited the vehicle and attempted to flee.
An RCMP police dog tracked down the women and stopped her before she attempted to run across southbound traffic.
ìIt was fortunate that the dog was able to bring her down,î said Turnbull. ìIf she had run into traffic thereís a very good chance she would have been struck and killed.î
The male passenger gave himself up and was arrested without incident. The names of the two have not been released and they were both scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on Oct. 2.
The investigation into the offenses that occurred in Calgary is continuing by the Calgary Police Service.
Car submerged
A 21-year-old woman drove her SUV into a stormwater retention pond near Balzac on Oct. 1 at around 10 a.m.
Airdrie ITU officers were dispatched to the scene where they determined that a blue 2006 Subaru Forester SUV was attempting to merge on to Highway 2 from Crossiron Drive.
As the vehicle came down the ramp, the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then left the paved surface of the roadway and came to rest in the stormwater pond and eventually became fully submerged.
The sole occupant of the vehicle ñ a 21-year-old woman from Israel ñ managed to climb out of the vehicle and swim to safety. She was assessed by Rocky View County EMS at the scene and released.
The driver was subsequently charged with one count of careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act.
Airdrie Fire Departmentís Aquatic Rescue Team was able to recover the vehicle from the stormwater pond.
ìIt was nice to be able to have them come down and give us a hand getting the vehicle out of there,î said Turnbull.
If you have information on any unsolved crime, call Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
