Four charged in 300-km highway pursuit from Lac la Biche to Wetaskiwin
Two men and two teenagers have been charged following reports of attempted armed robberies and police pursuits that started in Lac la Biche Thursday night and ended north of Wetaskiwin early Friday morning.
RCMP say a 24-year-old man from Lac la Biche is charged with 12 crimes, including robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault, dangerous driving, criminal flight from police and other firearms offences.
A 16-year-old male youth from Lac la Biche is charged with eight crimes, including robbery with a firearm, firearms offences and joyriding.
A 23-year-old man from Kikino and a 17-year-old male youth from Beaver Lake are charged with robbery with a firearm and joyriding.
From Lac la Biche to Wetaskiwin
The events started 10:30 p.m. Thursday, when RCMP officers responded to a report of gunshots being fired in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Lac La Biche, about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton
RCMP did not locate the suspects at the time.
A few hours later about 150 kilometres south, RCMP responded to a report of an attempted armed robbery with a gun at a gas station in Redwater.
The victim at the gas station refused to comply with the demands and the suspects fled, police said.
The pursuit continued south into Leduc and Wetaskiwin. The vehicle was abandoned north of Wetaskiwin. Edmonton and RCMP police dog began tracking five suspects, all of whom were arrested.
At a nearby police checkpoint, a second vehicle believed to be associated with the group became involved, which led an officer to fire his gun, RCMP said.
The 23-year-old man and 17-year-old teenager have been released on conditions while the other two are still in custody.
An 18-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were also arrested but not charged by the RCMP.
Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the incident involving a police officer discharging a firearm.
