Two men were arrested after a four-hour incident at a local pub, Jan. 12.
Earlier in the day, Airdrie RCMP received information from the Calgary Police Service about the men, who were driving a white GMC Sierra Pickup and were involved in a police chase after allegedly committing multiple crimes in Calgary.
At around 1 p.m., the Airdrie detachment received a number of 911 calls of a single vehicle collision on the off-ramp from northbound Highway 2 to Yankee Valley Blvd.
The vehicle lost control and crashed into a light pole, knocking it over.
An officer was on scene in less than a minute, just in time to see the two male occupants fleeing from the scene on foot towards the King’s Heights shopping area.
Several nearby construction workers helped the officer confirm two suspects had climbed onto the roof of the Toad ‘n’ Turtle Pubhouse and Grill, located at 1900 Market St SE.
Officers quickly surrounded the building and secured the upper floor to ensure the safety of the patrons inside.
The patrons were asked to remain in the restaurant until the incident was resolved, according to Corp. Darrin Turnbull, RCMP Southern Alberta media relations officer.
“We wanted to make sure everyone was safe because of the implied threat (to patrons),” said Turnbull, adding he couldn’t confirm weather or not the suspects were armed.
Four hours later, after failed attempts to communicate with the suspects, members of the RCMP Emergency Response Team and a RCMP Police Service dog conducted a physical search of the roof area and safely located both suspects.
The two suspects were hiding on the roof of the business.
Both suspects were arrested and handed over to the Calgary Police Service.
“The RCMP response was quick and decisive and it had the safety of the community as the No. 1 priority,” said Turnbull.
See the Jan. 18 edition of the Airdrie City View for a follow up story and more photos.
