3 face dozens of charges after string of carjackings, assaults, highway chase in western Sask.
A string of violent carjackings, thefts, shootings and assaults over 2½-hours in western Saskatchewan Wednesday ended with a trio of people being charged with dozens of offences.
In one case, a victim was shot and injured. In another, the would-be carjackers shot at a person as the victim tried to drive away.
As police pursued them, the carjackers allegedly crashed into another vehicle and later, as they tried to make a getaway, drove the wrong way on a heavily travelled section of Highway 16.
The investigation involving Alberta and Saskatchewan RCMP began around 5 p.m. CST on Wednesday, RCMP said in a news release on Friday.
Police in Onion Lake, Sask., received a report that a male had been injured when a gun was used. The assailants fled in a vehicle. The victim was treated in hospital for serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Police spotted the vehicle near the border city of Lloydminster, but called off their pursuit for safety reasons.
More carjackings, highway chase
Around 6 p.m., police got a report the vehicle was involved in crash in Lloydminster. The suspects attempted another carjacking a few minutes later, firing two shots at the driver, who got away, police say.
They then assaulted another person and stole their truck, which led to another police chase, east of Lloydminster. Police called off that chase when the truck veered into oncoming traffic on Highway 16.
Just before 7 p.m., police in Maidstone got a report of another truck being stolen, which was later found back in Lloydminster. A 21-year-old woman was arrested in the area.
Finally, around 7:30 p.m., RCMP received a report that a truck carrying two males had gotten stuck near Hillmond, Sask..
The people in the truck fled, but were arrested nearby.
2 men, 1 woman facing dozens of charges
Two men — a 24-year-old from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation in Saskatchewan and a 33-year-old from Lloydminster — were jointly charged with 14 offences. The 24-year-old faces 15 other charges, and the 33-year-old faces seven more.
Among the charges faced by the two are:
Theft of truck.
Robbery using a firearm.
Discharge of a firearm.
Unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Assault.
Uttering threats.
Flight from police.
The 21-year-old woman, who is from Makwa Sahgaiehcan, was charged with several offences, including possession of property obtained by crime, possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of failure to comply. She was also wanted by police at the time of her arrest.
All three are set to appear in court next week.
