A significant police presence could be seen in the area of 75 Street and 101 Avenue in Edmonton on Wednesday evening after police said officers were involved in a pursuit resulting from a report of gunshots being fired.
Police said the incident unfolded when someone reported shots being fired from a vehicle in the Hermitage neighbourhood, in the area of Hermitage Road and Hooke Road, at 5:22 p.m. The shots were reportedly directed at a nearby black truck, police said. Officers pursued the suspect vehicle, a white Kia Soul, eventually surrounding and stopping it on 75 Street.
“After leaving the scene, the Kia Soul struck a number of vehicles in an attempt to flee police,” police said in a news release. “To ensure public safety, police pursued the Kia Soul and made deliberate contact with the vehicle.”
“They did so pushing him to the curb and breaking the axle on the front of the car, which rendered it inoperable,” Insp. Erik Johnson said.
“The driver was driving very dangerously down 118 Avenue [and] all through downtown,” he added. “Due to the risk to public safety and the fact that a firearm was involved, our members engaged in a criminal flight response.”
Police said the driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital and two of the vehicle’s occupants were taken into custody. They did not say how old the suspects were believed to be but said two are males and one is a female.
The driver taken to hospital was loaded onto a stretcher while handcuffed. Police described the driver’s injuries as non-life-threatening and added no officers or innocent bystanders were injured.
On Wednesday evening, police said they expected the southbound lanes of 75 Street to remain closed for several hours. The road reopened later on Wednesday night.