Cochrane Mounties arrest five people after rural rampage

Police expect to lay many charges related to spree of bear spray attacks

Cochrane Mounties are still trying to piece together the events of a dizzying crime spree that injured two officers, saw several bystanders hit with bear spray and had a woman narrowly avoid being hit by a truck.

Over the course of about two hours Monday night, RCMP allege a group of offenders left a path of destruction in a rural area near the Springbank Park for All Seasons.

“We still have a great deal of investigation to do,” said Corp. Troy Savinkoff. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Police were called to the area west of Calgary just after 10 p.m. for reports of a group of people on a rampage.

About 10:40 a.m., police allege a pedestrian was assaulted by a group of people and attacked with bear spray.

A short time later, another rural resident discovered two males and a female in her garage rummaging through a vehicle.

Officers rushed to the scene and came across a truck linked to the suspects, which then rammed a police vehicle, resulting in minor injuries to an RCMP constable.

The truck was stopped and its occupants fled on foot, resulting in a pursuit aided by the Calgary police and the HAWCS helicopter, as well as the RCMP K-9 unit.

Another RCMP officer from the Cochrane detachment suffered minor injuries during the pursuit, which ultimately collared a young male and two adult females.

As the pursuit was ongoing, a separate spate of incidents police believe was linked to the first group continued in the area.

Shortly after 11 p.m., a rural resident encountered strangers who attempted to enter her home, and may have attempted to aim their truck at the homeowner, police allege. The truck eventually struck the home, causing damage.

Soon after that, more residents discovered people trying to steal vehicles in the neighbourhood and, about 11:30 p.m., a group of athletes were attacked by an assailant with bear spray.

About 15 minutes after that incident, bear spray was used once again in what police said was an attempt to steal a man’s vehicle.

On Tuesday morning, Savinkoff said the investigation resulted in two more arrests — an adult male and adult female believed to be linked with the spree — as well as the recovery of a stolen blue Dodge Ram truck connected to Monday night’s events. Savinkoff said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are possible.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, no charges had been laid but many are expected, he added.

The two injured RCMP officers have been released from hospital and are recovering from minor injuries. No one else affected by the spree, including those hit with bear spray, suffered serious injuries.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.