Two men are facing charges after a traffic stop led to the firing of a gun, a police chase and a Nova Scotia highway closure.
The incident happened near Berwick, N.S., at around 4 a.m. Tuesday. RCMP had stopped a vehicle on Highway 101 for a Motor Vehicle Act offence.
READ MORE: Traffic stop leads to discharge of firearm, closure of N.S. highway, 2 arrests
RCMP say there was an “interaction” between the police officer and the 26-year-old driver, which resulted “in the discharge of a firearm.” Police have not said who fired the firearm.
“I can’t say for sure which individual fired the firearm or caused the firearm to be discharged yesterday during the incident. We’re not able to provide information on who was in possession of that firearm at that time,” said RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Clarke.
Police said the driver fled into a wooded area and was arrested four hours later, with the help of of the RCMP police service, air service and Emergency Response Team (ERT).
“We do know that the individual was injured when he was arrested and was taken to hospital for treatment of that injury, then he was held in custody by police,” Clarke said.
Meanwhile, the passenger remained in the vehicle and was arrested immediately.
Dhari Salman Shalaan, 26, of Halifax is charged with escaping lawful custody, assaulting a peace officer and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
Treyton Alexander Marsman, 20, of Lakeside in the Halifax area, is charged with one count of resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
Both men are scheduled to appear in Kentville Provincial Court on Wednesday and police say more charges are pending against them.
The highway was closed between exits 15 and 16 all Tuesday, and into Wednesday, as investigators collected evidence.
Just before 3 p.m., RCMP tweeted that one lane was open in each direction, but police were still on scene.
Clarke says the eight-kilometre long closure is necessary for safety reasons.
“The particular area where the incident occurred, it’s right on the highway, so it wouldn’t really be safe for our investigators to be examining that scene and collecting evidence. It’s very important to be alert when you’re near the highway so obviously we want to make sure that it’s safe for them to do that,” she said.
The Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) is also investigating the incident because it was a serious incident involving police.