SASKATOON — A 26-year-old male was arrested after evading the police and striking a police vehicle in an attempt to flee the scene in a stolen automobile Thursday night in the 1600 block of 11th Street West.
Members of the Saskatoon Police Service’s Guns and Gangs Unit, a few minutes after 8:30 p.m., were in the area of 20th Street and Avenue P Â鶹ÊÓƵ when they observed a vehicle known to be stolen.
They observed the vehicle pulling into a parking lot in the 1600 block of 11th Street West where police attempted to conduct a high-risk traffic stop.
The passenger exited the vehicle at that time and was taken into custody without incident. The driver, however, in an attempt to flee, struck the unmarked police vehicle approximately five times, and also a civilian vehicle.
The driver then fled to 11th street but stop sticks were successfully deployed and he was taken into custody without further incident. No one was injured during this incident.
The 26-year-old driver is charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, possession of buprenorphine, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of stolen property over $5,000, dangerous driving, evading the police, and failure to stop after an accident. The 25-year-old passenger, meanwhile, is charged with possession of methamphetamine and buprenorphine.
In a separate incident at around 10:43 p.m. Thursday, police needed to deploy a conducted energy weapon in order to subdue a 44-year-old male suspect in the 1800 block of Idylwyld Drive North.
Police responded to a call where the man was acting in an erratic and violent manner. Repeated attempts were made by officers to verbally de-escalate the situation, but these efforts were ignored by the male subject.
His behaviour became increasingly violent, and threats of self-harm were repeatedly announced. Additionally, the male subject threatened the use of a weapon and made demands that indicated he wanted the police to shoot him.
The CEW was deployed successfully. The male subject was apprehended under the Mental Health Services Act, and transported to the hospital where he was medically cleared and will be held for assessment.
This incident will be reviewed in accordance with policy.