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Lac La Biche man charged after long-range pursuit

RCMP have laid several charges against a Lac La Biche man two days after they laid down a spike belt to halt a pursuit that lasted about 300 kilometres. Police are saying a local 25 year old man is facing 11 charges after police in St.
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RCMP have laid several charges against a Lac La Biche man two days after they laid down a spike belt to halt a pursuit that lasted about 300 kilometres.

Police are saying a local 25 year old man is facing 11 charges after police in St. Paul first responded to what RCMP are calling a carjacking on Monday, November 26.

The alleged offence took place at approximately 1 pm.

A short time later, a gold-coloured Chevy Avalanche SUV matching the description of the stolen vehicle was spotted a short time later south of Lac La Biche on Highway 36.  RCMP say a spike belt was used to try to halt the speeding vehicle, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Ground covered

RCMP say the  SUV drove through Lac La Biche,, heading west on Highway 55 at high speeds, with police in pursuit. The suspect  drove across much of northeastern Alberta with police in pursuit.  RCMP say detachments in Lac La Biche, St. Paul, Thorhild, Smoky Lake, Redwater,  Athabasca and the specialized Eastern Alberta District Rural Crime Reduction Unit as well as the Boyle'-based Integrated Traffic Units were involved.

"He went through quite a few jurisdictions," says RCMP spokesperson Corp. Laurel Scott.

Some witnesses have told the POST that they saw some of the incident. One person said a vehicle raced through Grassland at more than double the speed limit. Another watched as a vehicle drove at high speeds, with several police vehicles in pursuit, through the four-way stop in Boyle at the intersection of Highwys 663 and 831.

Caught with spikes

At almost 3 pm,  chase  ended on Secondary Highway 831 at the intersection of Highway 28 near Waskatenau — about 65 kilometres south of Boyle— when a second spike belt was used to immobilize the vehicle.  The driver ran from the vehicle along the highway, but was quickly caught by police.

While the pursuit covered a lot of ground, with lots of law enforcement involved, police say they had a coordinated response that worked to catch the vehicle.

“Communication between the different RCMP Detachments and specialized units was crucial in the successful resolution of this incident,” said Cst. Guillaume Wilson with the EADRCRU.

Held in custody

Following a bail hearing, Curtis Nichols, 25, is being held in custody until his November 29 court appearance in St. Paul.

No one was seriously injured in the incident.  Police say the car jacking victim in St. Paul suffered minor injuries involved in the tussle over the vehicle keys.

Police are not releasing any specifics about the location of the car jacking or possible reasons, but say  the suspect was not in police custody at the time the truck was taken.

Half of the 11 charges Nichols faces are related to failing to comply with court-ordered conditions from previous incidents.


Rob McKinley

About the Author: Rob McKinley

Rob has been in the media, marketing and promotion business for 30 years, working in the public sector, as well as media outlets in major metropolitan markets, smaller rural communities and Indigenous-focused settings.
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