An Olds, Alta., man has been arrested and charged following a lengthy vehicle pursuit that began on Highway 2 near Airdrie and ended up in a creek northwest of Acme, Alta.
At around 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, a Calgary police helicopter spotted a stolen Ford F-350 driving dangerously on northbound Highway 2 near Airdrie, RCMP said in a news release Thursday.
“The truck was being driven in an extremely dangerous manner on highways and through fields and rural properties,” police said.
The truck drove through Rocky View County and into the Beiseker area where police were able to blow out the truck’s tires using spike belts. The truck eventually came to a stop in a creek northwest of Acme. The suspect then got out of the vehicle and fled, police said.
Police said they tried to track the suspect with a police dog through rough and wet terrain, but the suspect got away.
On Wednesday at around 10 a.m., police said they received several calls about a man seen wandering a rural area covered in mud. The man was asking passersby for directions and for a ride.
“Callers also explained to RCMP that it looked like he had slept outside all night,” police said. “A Good Samaritan even picked up the male who began to explain that he had driven his truck into a creek.”
Police said the mud-covered man was eventually dropped off by a driver at a restaurant in Linden. It was there where police swooped in and arrested him.
RCMP said a 41-year-old Olds man will appear in provincial court on Aug. 23.
Police are asking anyone with information on this incident to contact the Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200, your local police, anonymously through Crime Stoppers online or by phone at 1-800-222-8477.