SASKATOON — The suspect of Tuesday morning’s incident involving a stolen vehicle and 小蓝视频 police arrest could face multiple charges, after Saskatoon Police Service investigators determined that the 32-year-old male had previously committed several other unlawful events.
Before the car chase, the suspect allegedly assaulted a taxi operator and stole the vehicle at around 6:40 a.m. He later struck a convenience store in the 1500 block of 22nd Street, stole an undetermined amount of cash, and deployed bear spray before fleeing on foot.
The Serious Assault Unit is still investigating the incident, before charges are filed against the suspect, who was transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries consistent with a dog bite. It is undetermined whether the suspect was under the influence or had mental health issues.
The SPS received a report of a stolen F550 truck at approximately 7:53 a.m. while workers were conducting sewer work in the vicinity of Wiggins Avenue and Cascade Street. Police officers located the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop.
SPS Spokesperson Kelsie Fraser held a brief media event to provide an update on the incident, saying two police cruisers were damaged during the incident, one significantly, with the suspect intentionally ramming the SPS vehicles.
“In one instance, a high-risk traffic stop was attempted, and the vehicle stopped and intentionally reversed into the police car to damage it, and then fled again. There were several incidents of fleeing, stopping, and significant damage,” Fraser said.
She added that police officers had even deployed spike strips in one of their attempts to stop the driver, but she did not provide additional details, such as whether the use of the spike strips was successful.
“At several different points during the evade police incident, the suspect attempted, and in two incidents, successfully struck police vehicles. During the incident, two members discharged their service-issued firearms,” Fraser read in a statement.
A police vehicle intentionally struck the stolen F550 truck as the suspect prepared to exit the southbound lane off Circle Drive onto the Valley Road ramp. The suspect, who was uncompliant with the officers, was extricated from the vehicle and was taken into custody after 8:30 a.m.
Fraser added that SPS officers took 39 minutes to put the suspect into their custody, from the time the vehicle was reported stolen until the final incident along Valley Road. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team was also notified of the incident.
“SIRT’s mandate and why we notify them is to see if they'll take carriage of an investigation, and they will investigate when a person is seriously injured or fatally injured, either in police custody or as a result of police actions, and that wasn't the case here,” said Fraser.
