MAIDSTONE — Maidstone RCMP found themselves dealing with a two-day one-man crime spree last week that ultimately called for a tire deflation device and conducted energy weapon.
An Ontario man is facing numerous charges after the theft of vehicles, erratic driving, evading police and resisting arrest.
Maidstone RCMP say that ln Aug. 26, at approximately 2:10 p.m., they received a report of a car driving erratically on Highway 16, west of Maidstone.
Saskatchewan RCMP traffic officers located the car on the highway, activated their vehicle’s emergency equipment and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect vehicle did not stop, say police, instead increasing its speed and fleeing, entering and exiting the ditch at highway speeds.
Shortly after, officers located the car disabled on a grid road. The driver, a male, exited the vehicle and fled on foot into a nearby treed area. Shortly after, the male was located. He resisted arrest, say police, however, officers were able to bring him into custody safely.
Iinvestigation determined the car was previously reported as stolen in Ontario. The male was charged, appeared in court, and was released pending his next appearance.
On Aug. 27 at approximately 11:30 a.m., Saskatchewan RCMP traffic officers observed the same man breaking into a vehicle on 4th Avenue E in Maidstone. Officers began approaching the male, who then fled on foot. Officers searched the area for the male suspect.
Shortly after, Maidstone RCMP observed the male suspect driving an SUV. Police say the male had entered a nearby residence, stolen the keys to the occupant’s SUV, and left in the stolen vehicle.
Officers activated their vehicle’s emergency equipment and initiated a traffic stop. Again, the SUV did not stop, say police, fleeing west on Highway 16.
It was for safety reasons that a tire deflation device was set up, say the RCMP, and the stolen SUV ran it over, partially deflating its tires. The SUV continued, however, entering the town of Marshall where the damaged tires eventually became disabled.
The male suspect exited the SUV while it was still in motion to flee on foot, while the SUV struck a nearby unoccupied parked vehicle.
Police say officers next located the male suspect in a separate stolen vehicle, a truck, in a parking lot in Marshall. Officers blocked the parking lot exit with a parked police vehicle and approached the stolen truck on foot. The truck reversed, striking the parked police vehicle repeatedly. Police say the truck then struck a second police vehicle, fled from the parking lot, and exited town.
The officers were not physically injured. One of the police vehicles was disabled; the second was damaged.
The stolen truck drove down a dead-end road and into a field where it became stuck. The male suspect exited the truck and fled on foot. Police say officers followed the male into a treed area and informed him he was under arrest, but he resisted. Officers deployed a conducted energy weapon and the male was arrested without further incident.
In relation to the investigations on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27, the 25-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., is charged with:
- three counts, resists/obstruct peace officer;
- two counts, flight from peace officer;
- one count, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle;
- one count, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000;
- one count, failure to stop after collision with another conveyance;
- two counts, theft of vehicle;
- one count, breaking, entering, committing – residence;
- two counts, mischief under $5,000 – damage to motor vehicle;
- one count, mischief over $5,000 – damage to motor vehicle; and
- one count, fail to comply with release order condition.
He has been remanded and is scheduled to appear in Lloydminster Provincial Court on Sept. 4.
Saskatchewan RCMP Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS), Lloydminster RCMP, and Wilton Police Service assisted in this investigation.
