Sunday was not a day of rest for Blackfalds RCMP, who were forced to deal with a man on the run.
At 2:50 a.m. on Sunday, officers were checking out a suspicious truck within the town when the truck sped off, “driving in a manner dangerous to the public.”
A short time later, police found the vehicle and approached it once more. The driver, who police say was hiding in the truck, started it and rammed three police vehicles before fleeing. In the process, an officer discharged his fireman, with the bullet hitting the suspect vehicle.
The truck, which police discovered had been stolen from Red Deer on April 23, was later found abandoned in a rural area north of Blackfalds.
Then, at 7:47 a.m., RCMP received a complaint of a suspicious male in an industrial area on the west side of Hwy 2.
Police attended and say that they found that the male from earlier had entered the gated business and moved a front end loader within the yard.
Police have charged 36-year-old Sang Ho Son with two counts of assault with a weapon, flight from police, dangerous driving, break, enter and theft, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.
The weapons charge refers to the truck itself, which was allegedly used to try to hit the officers.
Sgt. James Derouin estimated the damage to the police vehicles at around $5,000. In their current state, he said, they are not road worthy.
Son, of Red Deer, was sentenced in 2013 to a year in prison in relation to a copper wire theft near Didsbury in February of that year.
Son is scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court on April 29.