A man is in custody after allegedly stealing a truck, crashing into an occupied vehicle and then hitting a church in south Edmonton.
Police said the suspect was drunk and trying to steal vehicle on 78 Avenue. The man then entered a body shop, and after being confronted by the manager, he took a swing at him and left, EPS said.
The man, who is known to police, went to another body shop in the area, and escaped with a truck. He broke several poles inside the building and drove through a closed bay door, police said.
After leaving the body shop and driving at a high rate of speed, the man collided into a vehicle in the area of 100 Street and 81 Avenue. The truck then hit a tree and the Trinity Lutheran Church, EPS said.
Around 50 people were in the church when the crash occurred.
“No long after I say, ‘how do we deal with things when they go drastically wrong?’ or ‘how do we deal with tragedy and cope well with distress?’ tires were squealing outside the church,” pastor Jason Anderson told CTV News. “Soon after, a crash, and a tree, and a vehicle came slamming into the side of the building.”
The woman inside the vehicle that was hit did not suffer any injuries, while the man suffered a cut to his hand as he attempted to break into vehicles before the collisions.
Three church members stayed with the suspect until police arrived shortly after.
He is facing 12 criminal charges.
