A man from Manitoba was arrested after an erratic chase in which a driver trying to evade police ended up going down the wrong side of Alberta’s busiest highway.
It happened north of Calgary in Rocky View County on Saturday night. Airdrie RCMP said just after 10 p.m., traffic officers attempted a stop with a suspected impaired driver after seeing the vehicle driving erratically, almost colliding with another vehicle on Highway 2 (QEII) near Crossfield.
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RCMP said a Ford truck sped away from police, headed south on the QEII, before it crossed the median and intentionally drove into oncoming traffic.
The vehicle continued driving south in the northbound lanes for approximately two kilometres before driving through a fence and onto Range Road 293, Mounties said.
RCMP said the vehicle attempted to get back on to the QEII but crashed into the driver’s side of a police vehicle that was blocking the way. The truck got stuck in some mud and the driver abandoned the Ford, which police later determined had been stolen. The RCMP officer inside the cruiser was not injured.
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The driver ran away and police were unable to find him in the dark. The following morning, RCMP received a 911 call from a woman who lived nearby. She was home alone when a man showed up at her door, cold and wet, asking for a ride.
RCMP showed up and arrested the suspect.
Michael Renz, 28, from Manitoba, has been charged with 10 offences including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, obstruction and breaching his recognizance, and failing to remain at the scene of a collision.
Renz remains in custody and will appear in court in Airdrie on Thursday.
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