Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating an incident that occurred near Hinton, Alta., in which it says an RCMP officer was struck by a vehicle and a suspect was shot.
The RCMP said officers responded to a stolen vehicle call in a rural area outside Hinton at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said officers walked into a remote wooded area where they found a truck with a driver and his passenger inside. Police said a “confrontation” occurred where an officer was hit by the truck and the driver was shot by another officer.
ASIRT said the driver fled on foot before being apprehended a short time later. The 24-year-old man was not aware he was injured until he was taken to the RCMP detachment and a gunshot wound was found on his lower body.
He was treated in hospital and released the same day.
The 17-year-old passenger was arrested without incident, police said. She was not injured
The officer who was hit by the truck was taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to ASIRT.
ASIRT said its investigation is focusing on the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting and whether police conduct was lawful. The RCMP continues to lead the investigation into the events leading up to the incident.
Hinton is located about 280 kilometres west of Edmonton and about 80 kilometres northeast of the town of Jasper.