A man wanted for sexual assault in Norway House, Man., needed to be rescued by RCMP officers when he fell through the ice while running from police across a lake.
Manitoba RCMP said local officers on patrol spotted the man in the community on Friday afternoon, and recognized him as the subject of an arrest warrant.
When the suspect noticed police, he took off on foot through the bush. Police said they pursued the man for over two hours, until he ended up on Little Playgreen Lake, where he fell through the ice — several times — and lost his shoes.
Three officers put on safety equipment and went out onto the ice. Police said they were able to successfully get the man off the ice and into custody — they allege he assaulted them in the process.
After being pulled to safety, the suspect began suffering from hypothermia and was moved to a makeshift shelter where he could receive medical treatment. Because the location wasn’t accessible by car, police and other emergency services personnel carried him out of the bush on a stretcher, and he was then taken to hospital.
In addition to the sexual assault charge he was wanted for, a 21-year-old man now faces two counts of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
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