Alberta’s police watchdog has been asked to investigate a crash and arrest in central Edmonton that sent the driver to hospital early Monday morning.
Police said an officer was driving in a marked cruiser east on 103A Avenue, near the east end of Jasper Avenue, at around 3:40 a.m. when he saw a black Chevrolet Silverado headed west toward him in the wrong lane.
Bystanders flagged down the officer to tell him they suspected the driver of being impaired, police said in an update Monday afternoon.
The officer attempted to pull over the Silverado but it drove away west on Jasper Avenue at high speeds, police said, adding due to the concern for public safety, given the operator’s driving patterns, the officer pursued the truck.
The truck reached the western end of Jasper Avenue where the road sharply curves north to become 124 Street, which is where police said the driver of the pickup lost control and collided with a light pole and tree on the west side of the street. The force of the impact was sufficient to deploy the truck’s airbags, ASIRT said.
The responding officer approached the damaged Chevy as the woman driving the truck attempted to flee on foot, police said.
While attempting to arrest the driver, a struggle ensued, and police said the officer deployed his Taser. Once the woman had been taken into custody, ASIRT said she became unresponsive.
Paramedics treated and took the 29-year-old woman to hospital. ASIRT said she received treatment for facial injuries and as of Friday, had left the hospital.
The two other women in the truck were not injured and stayed in the vehicle after the crash, police and ASIRT said.
Investigators found drugs and firearms inside the vehicle, police said.
The section of Jasper Avenue between 123 and 124 streets was closed for several hours, officers said. It at reopened around 11:30 a.m.
Alberta’s director of law enforcement was notified and has asked ASIRT to lead the investigation into the incident, due to the injuries suffered by the driver.
The Edmonton Police Service will continue its criminal investigation into the dangerous driving.
— With files from Heide Pearson, Global News
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