4 of 5 arrested in northern Alta. kidnapping

A kidnapping victim was found by police during a traffic stop in northern Alberta earlier this month.

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Four of the five people believed to have been involved have been arrested.

Mounties attempted to stop a vehicle in John D'Or Prairie on Oct. 1 because they believed it was involved in another event they were investigating.

However, the driver evaded police, driving into two police vehicles in the process.

Mounties followed them, disabling the vehicle in a field south of the community, where five people ran away on foot.

That's when police say they found "a sixth occupant" in the vehicle, a 36-year-old woman who had been kidnapped just before the traffic stop.

Four of the five people who fled were arrested and charged with kidnapping, flight from a police officer, and multiple weapons offences. RCMP say they found a sawed-off shotgun and a replica handgun while searching the suspects. They are being held in a correctional centre until their court date on Oct. 9.

Police also say they know the identity of the fifth suspect and are applying for an arrest warrant.

The kidnapped woman was flown to hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive.

John D’Or Prairie First Nation Reserve #215, part of the Little Red River Cree Nation, is located 125 kilometres east of High Level.