Man who led police on chase, hit SUV, handed 25-month term

A man who T-boned an SUV while fleeing police in 2017 will serve a 25-month sentence.

Justin Cole Larocque, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while being pursued by police causing bodily harm and one count of unlawfully operating a motor vehicle while disqualified.

According to an agreed statement of facts entered with the court by Crown prosecutor Alison Magill, police in Sherwood Park received a 911 complaint early on Jan. 29, 2017, about a young woman being forced into a white Chrysler 300.

Court heard the young woman Larocque was forcing into the car was his underage sister. The girl was intoxicated and had called her brother to pick her up. “He had been angry with her but she had not been abducted,” Magill said.

An RCMP officer responding to the call caught up to the Chrysler on Highway 16 as it headed toward Edmonton.

Larocque noticed the police vehicle and continued to drive lawfully until the officer activated the cruiser’s lights and sirens.

That’s when Larocque began to speed in an attempt to evade police. A second RCMP vehicle joined in the chase that led onto Victoria Trail in Edmonton. As the pursuit approached an intersection, Larocque touched his brakes but ended up running a red light.

As he drove into the intersection, the Chrysler T-boned the passenger-side of an SUV crossing through a green light. The time between the police officer activating his lights and the collision was about 30 seconds, court heard.

The passenger in the SUV had to be extracted from the vehicle and sustained a number of injuries. The victim continues to deal with the fallout of his injuries, Magill said.

The 25-month sentence was a joint submission between Magill and defence lawyer Steven Fix.