Dozens of charges have been laid after a stolen truck was abandoned at the Edmonton International Airport, where a taxi was then stolen over the weekend.
It started just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13, when RCMP said Wetaskiwin officers spotted a truck with a burnt-out headlight driving near Highway 2a and 36 Avenue, at the south end of the central Alberta city.
Police said the officer lost sight of the truck but continued making patrols to try and find it.
A short time later, the vehicle was located a few kilometres south on the same highway, near Township Road 460. Police ran the licence plate and found out the truck had been stolen from Red Deer.
RCMP said police followed the truck from a distance without stopping it, with the help of the Edmonton Police Service Air 1 helicopter, while additional resources were called in to help.
The truck headed north and made its way to the Edmonton International Airport, where it stopped near the main terminal.
RCMP said officers from Wetaskiwin and members of the police dog services unit got out of their vehicles and were preparing to approach the stolen truck and apprehend the people inside, when a suspect forcibly took a nearby taxi and used bear spray against the driver before driving away in the cab.
“The suspect drove towards police at a high rate of speed in the stolen cab and did not stop,” a police release issued Thursday said, adding no officers were hurt.
RCMP said officers tried to follow the stolen cab and stop the suspect, but it sped away. Mounties followed the vehicle as it drove north to the city, where the Edmonton Police Service took over pursuit.
“This was a situation where the actions of these suspects posed a risk to both the public and the police,” Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment Insp. Keith Durance said.
RCMP said Edmonton police deployed “tire deflation device” and the stolen taxi cab was stopped. Three people were arrested and turned over RCMP custody.
“We are thankful we were able to stop further offences from occurring and successfully apprehend these individuals in partnership with the Edmonton Police Service,” Durance added.
Three people from Red Deer were charged with 46 offences: 19 were laid against Joshua Martin William Howse, 33, while Lindsey Rae Mazzei, 39, was charged with 15 crimes and 13 charges were laid against Amanda Ray Metro, 34.
The charges included several counts of fleeing from police, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, robbery with a weapon, dangerous operation of a vehicle and possession of property over $5,000.
All three people remain in police custody. Mazzei and Metro were set to appear in Wetaskiwin Provincial Court on Thursday, while Howse is set to appear on Nov. 30.