Two teenage suspects are in custody and two others are at large after a seven-hour manhunt in Lac La Biche County on Monday evening, where a bullet was fired into a police windshield.
Two teenage suspects are in custody and two others are at large after a seven-hour manhunt in Lac La Biche County on Monday evening, where a bullet was fired into a police windshield.
According to an RCMP press release, police received a report at 4:30 p.m. that suspects believed to be involved with several armed robberies were travelling from Wandering River towards Lac La Biche in a dark pick-up truck.
“It was Boyle detachment that raised our attention towards that,” said Lac La Biche RCMP Sgt. Henry Van Dorland.
He also said the chase began on Highway 55 at around 5:45 p.m. when police spotted the dark-coloured, older-model GMC pickup truck.
The press release states that a few minutes after the start of the pursuit, a single shot was fired at the RCMP officer’ s vehicle from the truck. The release states that the bullet struck the windshield. The officer was not injured.
The release states that the chase continued eastbound towards Lac La Biche.
Van Dorland said officers laid two spike belts on the outskirts of Lac La Biche - one on Highway 55 entering the hamlet and another near a four-way stop on a bypass road.. He said the suspects’ vehicle evaded both spike belts.
Van Dorland added that the pursuit led to the dispatch of approximately 10 RCMP members and the K-9 unit.
He said the chase continued to an area northeast of Lac La Biche, where the suspects’ vehicle became inoperable when it got stuck on train tracks. He added that the suspects then abandoned their truck and tried to escape on foot.
Van Dorland said the occupants ran southbound on the tracks and went into the woods and fields. Police were able to catch two of the suspects, approximately twenty kilometres northeast of Lac La Biche. The other two remain at large.
Van Dorland said it is believed that the suspects could be connected to robberies that took place in Cold Lake days prior. The investigation is ongoing. According to a Cold Lake RCMP press release, three liquor stores were robbed in a span of 20 minutes on July 8. The release says that liquor store staff were bear maced, that the suspects were described as two aboriginal youth, and that police were searching for a green, older model GMC pickup truck.
“It is thought, and, or believed that they may be responsible for it and we’ re working on that to piece that information together, but at this point in time it’ s not known or a hundred per cent certain,” Van Dorland said.
“All we’ re doing is charging them won the charges that we’ ve got from our point,” he added. “Cold Lake - we’ re just leaving them to continue on with their investigation.”
Van Dorland said that the suspects’ names and identifying details cannot be released due to protection under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
He also said that people should be extra vigilant around the east side of Lac La Biche Lake, along the Square Lake and Shaw Lake Road area.
“However, I think that they’ ve already fled from that particular area,” he added. “But just be vigilant if there’ s a quad missing, if there’ s a vehicle that’ s been stolen from them, etc.”
Police are seeking information in relation to the incident. Contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or call Lac La Biche RCMP at 780-623-4380 to leave a tip. The suspects may be armed and dangerous.
The story will be updated as more information - including charges - becomes available.
