Albertan charged in Battleford shootout

A 33-year-old man faces charges in connection with a shootout involving RCMP officers last week near Battleford.

The Edmonton resident is charged with fleeing a peace officer, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, assault on a police officer with a weapon, forcible confinement and endangering a child.

On Friday around 7:15 p.m., Battlefords RCMP responded to reports of an erratic driver on Highway 4 south of Battleford. RCMP located the suspect vehicle and attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle was driven away from the officers. Police at that time confirmed that the driver was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant for parole violations, RCMP said in a news release.

A pursuit continued northbound on Highway 4 toward Battleford when RCMP deployed a spike belt that caused the car to stop.

“The driver then discharged a firearm at an RCMP officer,” RCMP said in a news release. “The RCMP officer returned fire at the suspect. It was at this time RCMP officers observed there were other persons in the vehicle with the suspect.”

The vehicle was driven from the scene with officers in pursuit. When the vehicle was stopped a second time, the occupants of the vehicle as well as the suspected shooter fled from police, RCMP said.

The suspect and the vehicle’s occupants were able to get a ride “from an unsuspecting member of the public” before they were located during a traffic stop on Highway 29, according to RCMP. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.

No one was injured in the shootout, the pursuit or the arrest, according to police.

The 33-year-old man was scheduled to appear Tuesday in North Battleford provincial court.

Saskatchewan RCMP asked that Moose Jaw city police conduct an independent, external investigation into incident, and for the Ministry of Justice to appoint an independent observer in the “interest of transparency and public confidence,” the release stated.