Shots fired as police pursue break-in suspect
Gunshots were fired and several blocks of downtown Saskatoon were taped off by police Wednesday afternoon after an incident in which officers’ weapons were drawn during a foot pursuit.
Around a dozen police and emergency responders were on the scene Wednesday shortly after 3 p.m. Patrol officers and the canine unit initially responded to a report of a car theft in progress after a man was seen breaking the window of a vehicle in the 200 block of Fourth Avenue, according to police spokeswoman Kelsie Fraser.
Witnesses described seeing police with weapons drawn chasing a man down Fourth Avenue South before the pursuit continued left onto 20th Street West toward Spadina Crescent. One witness, who was close to the foot chase as it unfolded, described seeing “a tall, lanky guy” carrying what looked like a long iron pole, as well as a smaller black object she couldn’t make out.
The woman said the man, during the commotion, threw something that “crackled” and then ran, at which point she believes police fired at him. The woman said she heard what she believes to have been as many as four gunshots fired by police.
Another witness, working at a building on Fourth Avenue and 20th Street, said she heard what she believes to be a shot fired.
Fraser confirmed that shots were fired but could not confirm the number of shots or if the shots were fired by police or the man being pursued.
Another witness described seeing the person pursued by police being taken from the scene by ambulance.
Fraser later confirmed that a man was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.