Vulcan, Alberta – An early morning incident with a stolen vehicle has resulted in three arrests and a small grass fire south of Calgary.
At 2:30 am on August 11, Calgary Police notified Okotoks RCMP that a stolen Ford F-350 was seen heading south towards Okotoks. Officers from the Okotoks and High River detachments located the vehicle, which was being monitored by the HAWCS helicopter, on Hwy 2. A spike belt was deployed which deflated two of the vehicle tires just north of High River.
The vehicle then turned off of Hwy 2 towards the town of High River where two passengers in the vehicle exited and attempted to hide from police. With assistance from HAWCS helicopter, RCMP officers were able to locate and arrest the man and woman without incident.
The stolen truck continued into the town of High River then headed East on Hwy 23 towards Vulcan RCMP area. A second spike belt was deployed south of Vulcan resulting in the other two tires being deflated. The driver of the truck still continued southbound and sparks from the ignited a fire in the ditch along Hwy 23 near the village of Champion. Champion volunteer fire department were contacted and attended to extinguish the fire.
The stolen truck eventually stopped after it caught fire and was unable to continue on the rims. The driver, a 35-year-old male from Calgary was arrested without further incident. The driver was found to be on statutory release and has been returned to the custody of Correctional Services Canada. Charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property and flight from police are pending.
The two passengers who jumped from the vehicle near High River, a 26-year-old female and 25-year-old male, both from Calgary, face a charge of possession of stolen property over $5000. They have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in Okotoks Provincial Court on September 8, 2017.
The names of those arrested cannot be released as charges have yet to be sworn.
