‘Miracle’ no one injured in stolen-vehicles chase
Police say it’s a “miracle” no one was seriously injured after a man and woman led authorities on a pursuit in two stolen vehicles, driving the wrong way on city roads and ramming a Mountie’s vehicle east of Calgary.
The duo was eventually taken into RCMP custody outside a movie theatre at CrossIron Mills on Wednesday afternoon. They’re facing numerous charges, including flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
“Out of all of this, it’s a miracle nobody was seriously injured and no serious crashes occurred,” said RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters.
The pursuit began Wednesday afternoon when Turner Valley RCMP began following a stolen truck near Priddis.
The truck sped through a Tsuut’ina police traffic stop before continuing into Calgary city limits. At that point, Calgary police joined, along with a HAWCS helicopter.
Police say at some point, the duo split up: one continuing in the first stolen truck while the other followed in a second stolen vehicle.
They drove “erratically” at excessive speeds, at times driving the wrong direction on city roads, a spokesperson for Calgary police said.
On a secondary road east of the city, one of the stolen vehicles rammed an RCMP cruiser from Strathmore.
Curtis said the fleeing drivers then abandoned one of the vehicles and got in together in the other.
They continued in the truck to Langdon, criss-crossing rural roads east of the city before heading north toward Airdrie.
“They lost a tire on the truck but still continued on three wheels right up to the CrossIron Mills movie theatre entrance,” Curtis said.
The two ditched the truck on the sidewalk and ran into the theatre on foot with police in hot pursuit.
“They tried to run through the front doors and out the back doors in an attempt to evade arrest, but they ran right into the arms of our officers and CPS officers who were waiting.”