A police officer shot at a vehicle early Monday to stop a suspect who had allegedly rammed two police cars during an incident that started in Red Deer and ended on a rural road near Sylvan Lake.
Red Deer City RCMP received a complaint of alleged domestic assault in the Oriole Park area at around 2 a.m. on Monday. Police said the man had indicated he would return to kill the woman and himself, but he allegedly fled in a stolen truck before officers arrived.
Red Deer City RCMP alerted other local detachments and Sylvan RCMP found the truck on a rural grid road. A pursuit began, with the truck driver ramming the Sylvan Lake police car in pursuit of him, smashing it to the point that the police vehicle couldn’t be driven. The police officer received minor injuries and was treated on the scene.
Another RCMP officer located the truck a short time later. The truck driver rammed the second police vehicle, forcing both the truck and police vehicle off the road and into a ditch. Again the police vehicle was disabled by the crash and the truck driver again tried to continue driving the truck.
Const. Chris Kosack of Red Deer City RCMP said the officer feared grievous bodily harm or death to the public or the police if the suspect escaped and so he fired his service pistol at the truck’s tire, hitting it and disabling the vehicle, along a rural grid road near Sylvan Lake.
The truck driver then surrendered and was taken into custody.
Kosack said RCMP continue to investigate, with forensic identification, major crimes and collision analysts, dog service and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team all playing a role.
Kosack said the man’s name, age and place of residence cannot be released until an information is sworn. He said the alleged victim is in a safe place and police are investigating the alleged domestic assault.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Red Deer City RCMP at 403-343-5575 or Sylvan Lake RCMP at 403-887-3333.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com