The RCMP have called off the search for an adult male who fled after crashing a stolen car into the bush near 12 Mile Thursday morning.
“Basically what we’ve had is a stolen vehicle that we followed into the bush and what we believe to be an adult male and an adult female who fled the area,” said Cpl. Thomas Blakney in an interview near the scene of the crash this morning. “We’ve got one adult female in custody and we’re still looking for an adult male.”
The incident started at around 5:20 a.m. when police picked up on suspicious behaviour in a vehicle near town. They conducted a traffic stop and the occupants fled south.
Police followed them at a distance to the end of the road that leads past the 12 Mile flats, where the suspects crashed the white, four-door sedan and fled into the woods.
“He knew and we knew it was stolen and his vehicle ended up crashing and they both fled from the vehicle in opposite directions,” said Blakney.
The car lay in stuck in the snow at the end of a logging road, where several RCMP officers were on scene.
Police could be heard on the scanner searching the area throughout the morning searching for the suspects. An RCMP helicopter and a police dog were brought in to help with the search. The helicopter could be seen flying overhead, above the flats and the woods in the surrounding area.
Police also searched the 12 Mile flats for the man on foot.
“Based on the cold weather, based on the river, based on our tracking – we’re concerned for his well being,” said Blakney.
At around 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 18, the search for the suspect was called off.
Blakney said the car, a Hyundai Senata, was stolen from Calgary sometime late in the evening of Dec. 18. There was extensive damage done to the body of the car.
In a response to follow-up questions, Staff-Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky said they knew the identity of the suspect.
Grabinsky said he is a 22-year-old native man from Manitoba with short brown hair and brown eyes. He has a scar below his left eye and was wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans.
A 22-year-old female is in police custody, with charges pending.