A car chase in central Alberta came to an end Friday when three suspects were shot at by police.
The dangerous driving began in Sundre, around 100 kilometres northwest of Calgary. Numerous people reported an erratic driver who was behaving in a threatening way, RCMP said in a media release.
Police say the suspect, who was driving a stolen vehicle, rammed it into another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle was then struck when he stepped out.
RCMP did not say what happened to the suspect’s vehicle after the other driver was hit. The stolen vehicle was spotted in Rocky Mountain House later that afternoon, and police were unable to stop it.
At around 4:25 p.m., police used a spike belt to slow down the suspect’s vehicle, but the vehicle got by the police barricade. Police fired at it.
Tomasz Gorny was driving home from work along Highway 20 when he turned onto Aspelund Road at around 4:20 p.m. and came upon the police barricade.
His dashcam captured part of the incident. The footage shows a truck driving into the ditch and then back onto the road as it blows by the police, and then past Gorny’s vehicle.
“The moment I realized they were shooting at the suspect was when I stopped. I pulled over and realized that [this] is not your ordinary day for sure,” Gorny said.
RCMP did not release details about where the vehicle ended up.
RCMP do say that two of the three suspects who were in the vehicle later fled on foot. It is unclear what happened to the third suspect.
The two suspects, both male, broke into a nearby home occupied by a family with young children. They stole cellphones and dashed into a neighbouring farm house, where they stole the keys for a pickup truck and drove off.
Police fired at the suspects after the men rammed the stolen truck into a police car. This was the second time police fired at the suspects.
RCMP investigation continues
Eventually, all three suspects were found by police. Two of the three suspects were injured.
A STARS air ambulance spokesperson confirmed that crews in Edmonton were called to Red Deer Hospital at 4:50 p.m. Friday to bring a patient to Edmonton. STARS did not confirm the patient’s injuries.
Police have not laid charges as of Saturday afternoon, and the investigation continues. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is also investigating.
ASIRT investigates any time someone is seriously injured or killed by police in Alberta.