Three robbery suspects whose vehicle collided with the vehicle of the owner of the store they allegedly robbed were later captured by RCMP after an extensive search.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP say that around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, two masked men broke into the Big Horn Store on the Big Horn First Nations Reserve west of Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.
The store owner disrupted the suspects and narrowly missed being assaulted as they fled in a small car, RCMP said on Friday.
The store owner encountered the suspect vehicle a few kilometres down the road where their respective vehicles collided. RCMP said a knife was produced and the store owner fled.
The suspects attempted to conceal their identity by removing the licence plates from their vehicle.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP, with assistance from a Red Deer RCMP dog service unit and Emergency Response Team members, located and arrested three suspects 12 hours later, several kilometres away in the bushes. Cash and items from the store were located with the suspects.
Rocky Mountain House general investigation section executed a search warrant on the suspect vehicle with assistance of the Red Deer forensic identification section and other items associated with the alleged robbery were recovered.
Two men, Kory Lalonde, 20, and Michele Lapensee, 21, both of Ontario, and Angel Lafleur, 21, from Hanna are charged with robbery, break and enter, disguising themselves with intent and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.
They will appear in Rocky House provincial court on Wednesday.