Man caught driving 254 km/h on Edmonton freeway

EDMONTON – Two people are in custody following a chase in southwest Edmonton involving a suspected stolen vehicle.

Around 2 a.m. Friday morning, police spotted the Chevrolet Malibu travelling 254 kilometres per hour on the Anthony Henday. When the driver didn’t pull over, a short chase followed, with Air1 joining the pursuit. The police helicopter was able to locate the vehicle, which ended up crashing in the area of Range Road 261 and Township Road 514.

The female passenger, 19-year-old Tannis Atkinson, suffered minor injuries in the crash. She also ended up being charged with possession of drugs and stolen property after officers allegedly found crystal methamphetamine on her in the vehicle, which they believe was stolen.

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The 27-year-old male driver, meanwhile, took off on foot, leading Air1, canine units, and patrol members on a chase through the River Valley in the Terwillegar area. He managed to disappear in the Upper Windermere area. The search for him continued for several hours, but it wasn’t until about 1 p.m. on Friday that officers managed to find and arrest him in the area of Quadrant Avenue and 215 Street.

“There is no question that this driver endangered lives,” said Staff Sergeant Curtis Schriever in a release. “He showed a complete disregard for the safety of the people travelling on the same road as him. I cannot imagine what this individual was thinking travelling at such a dangerous rate of speed.”

“Anytime you’re going 20 kilometres over increases the risk of having a collision and having it be fatal,” said EPS spokesperson Leila Daoud. “50 kilometres over, we know that there’s almost an 80 per cent chance that it will be fatal. Going, in a 100 kilometre zone, going 154 kilometres over the limit – we’re talking about, I mean, it could’ve been a catastrophe, really. We’re very lucky that people weren’t injured, that families weren’t involved in this.”

The driver is now in custody, with charges against him pending.

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