Leduc County man charged in collision with cruiser
53-year-old faces impaired driving counts in crash that injured Devon RCMP officer
A 53-year-old Leduc County man faces multiple impaired driving charges after a Devon RCMP officer suffered serious injuries during an attempted traffic stop Thursday, say police.
The Mountie — recovering in an Edmonton hospital — was found near his marked RCMP vehicle after a head-on crash just west of Highway 60 after a 2:30 a.m. attempt to pull over an erratic driver.
The drama began when another officer tried to stop the vehicle before the driver fled south through Devon. That officer did not follow, but the second officer was alerted and was later found at the scene of the head-on crash near Range Road 264 and Township Road 504.
The responding officer administered first aid before the injured officer was treated by emergency medical services and taken to hospital.
The occupants of the suspect vehicle were trapped inside the car and had to be extricated. A passenger in the vehicle was taken to hospital with unknown injuries.
The driver was arrested at the scene.
Brent Allen Tchir is charged with two counts of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, two counts of causing an accident while impaired resulting in bodily harm, two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failing to stop for a police officer, and driving a motor vehicle while unauthorized, RCMP said in a Friday news release.
He is set to appear in Leduc provincial court Nov. 30.
Back in April 2011, Tchir was sentenced in Leduc court to five months in jail for impaired driving.
He was found guilty of driving while over the legal limit of 0.08 mg, obstructing a peace officer, driving without insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and driving a motor vehicle while unauthorized.
Court at that time heard Tchir had three impaired driving convictions dating back to 1985.
Representing himself in the 2011 case, Tchir told the court he promised never to do it again. The judge, however, said a jail sentence was a proper punishment because of Tchir’s past convictions.