On Nov. 29, 2023, at approximately 1:40 p.m., Fort Saskatchewan RCMP received a complaint of a sighting of a suspect vehicle that had been involved in previous offences involving stolen credit cards.
Fort Saskatchewan Traffic and Crime Reduction Unit (TCRU) and General Investigative Section (GIS) located the vehicle at a hotel on 101 Street, and observed the male driver and female passenger drive the vehicle, which was determined to be stolen, to a local business where the female suspect attempted to steal merchandise.
The male driver left Fort Saskatchewan heading north into Sturgeon County, Alta., where both occupants abandoned the stolen vehicle and jumped into a second suspect vehicle with a male driver. The driver was able to evade attempts at tire deflation devices before fleeing from the vehicle into a rural residence on Township Road 580, Thorhild County, Alta. Upon fleeing from the vehicle, one of the suspects discarded a firearm onto the rural property.
Resources from Alberta RCMP Police Dog Service, Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team, Redwater Detachment, Smoky Lake Detachment and Edmonton Police Service Air Services were brought in to assist with the investigation.
As a result, a 23-year-old individual, a resident of Gibbons, Alta., was charged with the following:
- Possession of stolen property over $5,000
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Possession of a firearm in a vehicle
- Unsafe storage of a firearm
- Resist arrest
- Fail to comply with Release Order (x7)
A 28-year-old individual, a resident of Bon Accord, Alta., was charged with the following:
- Possession of stolen property over $5,000
- Theft under $5000
- Resist arrest
- Possession of a firearm in a vehicle
A 38-year-old individual, a resident of Wetaskiwin, Alta., was charged with possession of a firearm in a vehicle and possession of property obtained by crime.
The 23-year-old and 28-year-old individuals were remanded into custody following judicial interim release hearings. The 38-year-old individual was released from custody.
All three are scheduled to appear in Court on Dec. 7, 2023.