RCMP are investigating an incident in which one of their officers discharged a firearm while conducting a traffic stop.
It happened on Jan. 30 on Capris Road in Leduc. Police said the officer stopped a Dodge pickup truck following a report of a suspicious person.
RCMP said during the interaction “the driver produced a firearm, the pickup rammed the officer’s police vehicle, and the officer discharged his service firearm.”
The truck then left the scene. The officer didn’t suffer any injuries.
Wetaskiwin RCMP noticed the vehicle a short time later and successfully deployed a spike belt.
With the help of EPS Air 1 and a police dog, officers were able to find and arrest the two suspects, one of which was taken to hospital with minor injuries suffered during the arrest.
Chervaine Saddleback, 24, now faces several charges including assaulting a peace officer with weapon. Saddleback is scheduled to appear in court on Feb.8.
Chavez Yellowbird, 20, also faces several charges including assaulting a peace officer with weapon. Yellowbird is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 15.
RCMP said the Director of Law Enforcement was made aware of the incident immediately afterwards and directed the RCMP to investigate the incident which RCMP said will likely include what led the officer to discharge his firearm.
The RCMP said it has implemented its internal review process to gather a full account of what took place during the traffic stop.
“RCMP training, policy, police response, and the member’s duty status will be subject to review,” the RCMP said in a news release Friday afternoon.
Global News has reached out to the Director of Law Enforcement.
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