At 9 a.m. on July 8, members of Inverness District RCMP responded to a call of a possible impaired driver near a service station on Hwy. 105 in Whycocomagh. The caller provided a description of the vehicle. An RCMP officer in the area attempted to stop the vehicle however the driver refused and fled the area in the vehicle. There were two other people inside.
Police continued to patrol the area and they located the vehicle parked in a driveway. They used the police vehicle to block the suspect vehicle in the driveway. The driver then drove through the yard and got back on the road by using another driveway. The RCMP officer again attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, but backed off due to safety concerns. The vehicle description was passed on to neighbouring detachments and Cape Breton Regional Police.
Members of Eskasoni RCMP were ready with a spike belt in the area of Christmas Island, and they safely disabled the suspect vehicle as it approached them. The three occupants of the vehicle fled the area on foot, into the woods. Two police dogs were called to the area to assist with searching for them. One male who had been a passenger came out of the woods and was arrested. The driver and remaining passenger were not located, and the search for them, as well as the investigation, is ongoing.
The 31-year-old man from Sydney Mines who was arrested is facing a charge of Resisting Arrest. He was released on conditions and is scheduled to attend Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court on September 28.
File # 2020925324