A 31-year-old Winnipeg man is facing a laundry list of charges after a lengthy police chase that began in north Winnipeg and wound up on the west side of Portage la Prairie Sunday night.
Police said the incident began when officers spotted a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 — that had been reported stolen earlier that afternoon — driving through the North End.
After police initially lost track of the vehicle, it was spotted a short while later and blasted through an attempt to pull it over downtown, at Fort Street and Broadway.
Police said the stolen Chevy rammed a tactical support vehicle and kept going, eventually heading west on Portage Avenue toward the city limits. Officers involved in the crash were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Once the vehicle crossed into the RM of Headingley, police said, local RCMP took over the chase, with the help of city police. The pursuit continued west, with the driver eventually losing control in a ditch on the west side of Portage la Prairie.
The suspect was assessed for injuries and taken into custody around 1 a.m. Monday, before being turned over to Winnipeg police. Police allege the suspect gave RCMP a false name upon his arrest.
A Winnipeg man remains in custody, facing two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, as well as dangerous operation of a conveyance, fleeing while pursued by a peace officer, operating a conveyance while prohibited, possessing property obtained by crime, identity fraud with intent to void arrest, four counts of failing to comply with release conditions and two more counts of failing to comply with probation.
Major crimes investigators continue to look into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).