Northeast Edmonton police chase injures 2 officers, 2 residents

One man was arrested and four people, including two police officers, were taken to hospital after the driver of a stolen truck led police on a chase through northeast Edmonton Sunday evening.

Edmonton Police Service says its members were called to Evergreen Trailer Park, in the far northeast part of the city, just before 7:30 p.m. to investigate a suspicious vehicle.

EPS says the 32-year-old driver took off when officers attempted to speak to him, hitting a police cruiser. A flatbed trailer was hitched to the truck.

The man attempted to lose police for roughly 11 kilometres, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He was driving at excessive speeds and into oncoming traffic, police said.

Two Kirkness residents were chatting outside when they saw the truck chased by police down their block. Knowing there were only two exits from the community, the pair parked one of their trucks in the middle of the street, hoping it would be enough to stop the suspect.

Instead, the pickup driver circled around it – hitting both the Ram 3500 parked in the street, as well as a vehicle in the driveway – and evaded police by driving across the yard of another neighbour. During the escape, the truck driver struck and dragged a third vehicle that had been parked on the street.

Another Kirkness resident captured footage of what she says was the police chasing the pickup and trailer across a playground in the community.

'THAT WAS WILD'

Police were able to stop the driver at 66 Street and 118 Avenue. The man got out of the stolen truck and attempted to steal an SUV at the intersection before he was taken into custody, EPS said.

Katy MacKay, a driver at the intersection when police arrested the man, was on her way to pick up a cake when she says the man tried to get into her vehicle.

"He was moving with clear intent toward my car," MacKay said. "And when he couldn't get in, he took his fist and struck my window, but it didn't break. So I was happy about that."

"That was wild."

The man who was arrested, as well as two people who were in vehicles that were hit during the chase, and two police officers were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police. The two officers had been released from hospital by Monday afternoon.

Steve Soucy was charged with flight from police, three counts of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, failing to stop after an accident, dangerous operation of a vehicle, theft of a vehicle and possession of stolen property over $5,000.

Speed and impairment are considered factors, police said.

Police are asking anyone with video of the chase to call them at 780-423-4567.

The intersection of 66 Street and 118 Avenue was closed for several hours overnight, but had reopened by the morning.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joe Scarpelli