RCMP east of Edmonton are investigating, and have charged a man in his 20s, after a stolen vehicle was found by police, and the driver attempted to flee, but struck and injured a number of people in the process.
Police in Sherwood Park said at about 8:40 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to a motel located in the area of Strathmoor Drive, near Broadmoor Boulevard and Highway 16, following up on reports that a stolen vehicle was parked there.
Officers arrived on the scene, and found the stolen truck parked nearby, but when they approached, the driver promptly drove over a concrete median, while a number of passengers were getting out of the vehicle on the passenger’s side.
A woman and two girls were hit by the vehicle as it fled – the younger girls sustained minor injuries, and the woman suffered more serious but non-life threatening injuries, RCMP said the truck rolled over her lower extremities.
After the driver left the parking lot, police said the truck headed south on Broadmoor Boulevard, officers tried to use a spike belt to stop the vehicle, but it wasn’t successful – the truck avoided it, but allegedly struck a police cruiser – before taking off into a residential area, just before the pursuit was called off.
Later on, Strathcona County RCMP heard from Leduc RCMP, that the suspect vehicle was involved in another pursuit heading towards Edmonton on Highway 2 – the chase continued into the city, where Edmonton Police Service members, along with the EPS Air Section and police dogs, tracked the truck again, and managed to arrest the driver.
It’s believed the vehicle was stolen from Rocky Mountain House, it was reported stolen from the area on July 1.
A 28-year-old Mundare man is facing a number of charges, including dangerous driving causing bodily harm, two counts of criminal flight and dangerous driving.
Strathcona County RCMP said officers are still investigating.
