EDMONTON – A 38-year-old man is facing a slew of charges after police say he intentionally drove his truck into a gas station convenience store, seriously injuring two people inside.
Steven Cloutier is facing four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a weapon, four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and two counts of assault.
The black, Ford pickup truck slammed into a Petro Canada store near 97 Street and 118 Avenue just before 11:50 a.m. Wednesday. The vehicle ended up all the way inside the convenience store.
Four staff members were injured in the crash.
“We had some people injured here. Two have gone to one hospital, the other two have gone to a different hospital. Some of the injuries, I’ve been told, are quite serious at this point,” said EPS Sgt. Kevin Brookes on Wednesday.
Two employees were taken to hospital in critical condition and two were taken for observation, according to Suncor officials, the company that owns Petro Canada.
“EMS and the fire department were trying to get them from under the vehicle,” said Brookes.
On Thursday, police said they were told the male driver of the truck intentionally drove into the store after he was told he needed to prepay for fuel.
The truck struck one male employee and one female employee, pinning them underneath. Police said Thursday they were in serious but stable condition.
It is reported that the driver then got out of the truck and allegedly assaulted two female employees. They were treated for non-life threatening injuries and taken to hospital. They have both since been released.
Police said the driver left the store and the property briefly after the crash before going back.
“To my understanding, there were some citizens here that helped take the person into custody,” said Brookes.
He was arrested without incident by officers on scene.
Police said there were several people who witnessed the incident and that they’d check for surveillance video from the store.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published on Nov. 18 and was updated on Nov. 19 when charges were laid against the driver.
Comments