WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to four years in prison after a high-speed chase in which a police officer was dragged beside a vehicle.
Zsolt Takacs pleaded guilty to flight from police and criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection with the May 2011 police chase.
He led police down Main Street at speeds up to 85 kilometres per hour through heavy evening traffic after two officers in a marked cruiser tried to pull him over. Police caught up to him after he stopped and a constable approached the vehicle, demanding he turn it off.
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Takacs took off again after the officer reached inside the vehicle to grab the keys. The officer’s arm was stuck in the car, so he held on and was dragged for at least a block. He then jumped into the vehicle as it raced down Main Street at speeds of about 75 km/h and straddled Takacs. He punched him in the face and ordered him to stop but had to grab the gear shifter and put the car in park himself to make it stop.
The officer sustained injuries on his back from the steering column because of the impact and suffered reverse whiplash.
As he handed down the sentence, Justice Rick Saull said “the facts in this case are in my view horrific.”
Prosecutors asked for four years in prison while Takacs’ defence lawyer wanted a two-year non-custodial sentence.
Takacs is also banned from driving for 10 years.
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