Dog-toting suspect collared after fleeing police

Mounties arrested a man Wednesday following a chase involving members from four detachments, a Calgary police helicopter and RCMP police dog services.

The pursuit began at 5 a.m., when a Vulcan RCMP officer responded to a complaint at a rural property of a stolen snowmobile, which was seen being towed on a trailer behind a truck heading toward Highway 529. The RCMP officer pulled the truck over shortly after 6 a.m.

RCMP say when the officer went to arrest the male driver, a physical confrontation ensued. The suspect fled in the truck, “nearly running over the involved police officer,” Mounties said.

RCMP from High River and Okotoks assisted the Vulcan officer in pursuing the truck — a chase that ended when the vehicle got stuck in a snow-covered field.

Mounties say the suspect then left the truck and began to flee on the stolen snowmobile before he stopped to collect a chocolate Labrador retriever from the truck, then continued by snowmobile with the dog.

Turney Valley RCMP officers were deployed to join the chase via snowmobile and Calgary Police Service HAWCS helped to locate the snowmobile stuck in a group of trees, about six kilometres from where the truck was abandoned. RCMP police dogs helped to track and secure the suspect.

A 34-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody pending a bail hearing. Mounties say he suffered slight injuries from colliding with a tree and was taken to hospital.