RCMP in Manitoba’s Interlake region had their hands full Tuesday afternoon with a chaotic chase scene that led to the arrest of four people in their 20s.
The wild afternoon began with a break-in at an RM of Rosser home, in which guns, fuel and a pickup truck were stolen.
Suspects crashed the truck into a ditch in the RM of St. Andrews and fled the scene, police said, before a second pickup truck, which had also been reported stolen, came to pick them up and drove away through a Netley Marsh bush trail.
Police from several local detachments went on the lookout for the stolen truck and the four people believed to be inside, eventually spotting it near Petersfield, where a chase ensued. The truck was clocked at 175 km/h, police said, passing other vehicles on the shoulder of Highway 9, then Highway 8, until it was eventually abandoned in a field when police set up roadblocks.
With the help of police dog, Mocha, the suspects were tracked to a large pit, where they quickly ran out of steam and were arrested, police said.
All four suspects had outstanding warrants and were breaching their court-ordered conditions.
A man and a woman from Winnipeg, a woman from the RM of Gimli, and a man from the RM of MacDonald all face a list of charges, including possessing property obtained by crime, dangerous driving, weapons possession, and multiple charges of failing to comply.
A search of the pickup truck led to the seizure of a rifle, pellet gun, ammunition, and illegal cigarettes. The other pickup, which was crashed earlier that afternoon, contained bear spray, a hatchet, and a baton, as well as a gun which was found nearby in the ditch.
All four suspects remain in custody.