A Calgary police helicopter was used on Thursday to help in the arrest a man in Red Deer who police accuse of putting the public in danger.
At about 8 p.m., members of the regional Priority Crimes Task Force spotted the man in a stolen 2013 white Dodge Ram as it drove out of the parking lot at Bower Place Shopping Centre.
As RCMP tracked the vehicle heading onto 32nd Street, Taylor Drive and then right onto 43rd Street, more police officers moved ahead of the stolen vehicle and prepared to intercept it.
At the intersection of 43rd Street and 52nd Avenue, RCMP said they activated their emergency lights but the driver of the stolen vehicle immediately ran a red light, driving into oncoming traffic at high speed.
RCMP did not engage in a pursuit due to the danger to the public. There was significant traffic in the area at the time. Police were able to track the vehicle through various reports as it moved through south Red Deer and onto Hwy 2A near Springbrook.
Later in the evening, Red Deer RCMP GIS members and the task force located the suspect at the Super 8 Motel in Red Deer. They arrested the suspect without incident shortly after 11 p.m. with the assistance of a Calgary Police Service helicopter.
“We will not endanger the public by engaging in a pursuit where the suspect is putting the lives of innocent people at risk, but we knew who we were looking for, and we found him and arrested him when it wouldn’t create a danger to the public,” said Sgt. Eric McKenzie of Red Deer City RCMP.
The suspect, Logan Taylor Marshall, 20, is well known to police and has a lengthy criminal history that encompasses Red Deer, Innisfail and Sylvan Lake.
Marshall faces 12 new charges: possession of GHB, flight from police, possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and eight breaches of court orders.
He also had warrants for his arrest for over 20 previous charges: possession of a drug for the purpose of trafficking, five charges of possession of stolen property, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, seven breaches of court orders, three failures to appear in court and three Traffic Safety Act offences.
Marshall is in custody and is scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Tuesday.