A man from Ontario is facing a slew of charges after allegedly speeding along a highway, stealing a car and attacking an RCMP officer during a “series of incidents” that took place over 45 minutes in western New Brunswick.
In a news release, the RCMP said a member of the tactical traffic enforcement unit tried to pull over a speeding pickup truck on Highway 2 near Saint-André on March 16 around 5 p.m.
“The vehicle failed to stop and fled the scene, approaching speeds near 200 km/h,” the release said.
“A short distance away, the truck clipped another RCMP vehicle that was pulled over on the side of the highway to attend an unrelated motor vehicle collision, shearing off a side mirror.”
Nobody was injured during this incident, the release said.
Several other RCMP detachments responded. During this time, police received “multiple other calls of incidents between Grand Falls and Perth-Andover involving the same vehicle and driver.”
“These included several other incidents along the highway of hit and run, as well as two attempted car thefts, and an assault,” it said.
“Police then received information that the driver had abandoned the pickup truck and stolen a car from a residence, attacking the owner before fleeing the scene in the vehicle.”
Officers were able to stop the car for “a brief moment” near Perth-Andover. The release said the driver then attacked a police officer with mace before he once again fled the scene.
Police tried again to intercept the car a short time later — but “the driver collided with a police vehicle, narrowly missing a police officer, while fleeing the scene.”
It said the car was “finally” intercepted and immobilized on Route 130 in Bairdsville around 5:45 p.m.
“A search of the vehicle on the scene led to seizure of drug paraphernalia and what is believed to be crystal methamphetamine,” the release said.
In the end, two members of the public and a police officer were treated in hospital before they were released.
The suspect, a 32-year-old man from Elora, Ont., was also hospitalized. He has since been released and was taken into custody.
Ryan Jacob Robert Amaral appeared in Woodstock Provincial Court on Monday, and on March 17, where he was charged with the following:
- Flight from police officer;
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle;
- Driving while prohibited;
- Assault with a weapon;
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon;
- Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose;
- Assault on police officer with a weapon/causing bodily harm;
- Possession of property obtained by crime less than $5,000;
- Failure to comply with a release order;
- Three counts of failure to comply with release order conditions;
- Possession of a weapon contrary to an order;
- Damage to property over $5,000.
He was remanded into custody pending a bail hearing on March 28.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.