A 57-year-old man is facing eight charges after a pursuit on Saturday that saw one of their police vehicles rammed, Wetaskiwin RCMP said in a news release on Monday.
Just before 5 p.m., a witness called 911 with a report of a possibly impaired driver. The witness said there was a truck travelling southbound on Highway 13 and the vehicle was driving erratically and was going in and out of the ditch.
Wetaskiwin RCMP and Leduc RCMP located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the vehicle fled.
In the interest of public safety, officers pursued the vehicle, the release read.
Officers reported the driver drove toward their vehicles, causing police to have to veer to avoid collisions. Police deployed a tire deflation device, and officers said the driver purposely crashed into a parked police vehicle, pushing it into the ditch.
James Cridland was arrested without further incident and is now facing criminal charges related to impaired driving, dangerous driving and assault with a weapon.
He has been released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Wetaskiwin court.
Police are also looking to speak with two witnesses to the event. Officers are looking for anyone who was in the area and was driving a Volkswagen car and a white SUV. Anyone with information is asked to call the Wetaskiwin RCMP at 780-312-7267.
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