8:43am UPDATE: 35-year-old Vincent Hawes has been remanded into custody, and is set to appear in Provincial Court February. 8th, 2023.
Wood Buffalo RCMP was kept busy on Friday morning after a report of a vehicle theft turned into a string of crimes and a police chase that ranged from Gregoire to downtown.
After responding to a report of a vehicle theft around 7:30 Friday morning, police say that a stolen white F-150 collided with part of a building as the suspect was trying to get away. Shortly after, the stolen Ford allegedly hit a white Chevy Silverado near the Chevron station in Gregoire.
The suspect left the scene of that collision on foot and proceeded to allegedly steal a Toyota Camry from a nearby parking lot.
Minutes later, the suspect crashed the Camry into the back of a gravel truck on Highway 63. The alleged criminal then ran toward the Downtown area.
Wood Buffalo RCMP General Duty members contained the area with assistance from the RCMP Police Dog Services (PDS), Criminal Intelligence Unit, Crime Reduction Unit, and Municipal Traffic Services. Police Dog Services began to track the suspect on foot.
During this time, it is alleged the suspect attempted to steal another vehicle parked on Alberta Drive but was unsuccessful.
The suspect male was seen fleeing on foot by PDS at Franklin Avenue and McLeod Street. He was subsequently arrested by PDS and the Crime Reduction Unit without further incident.
RCMP reported that the suspect was also involved in an assault prior to the series of vehicle thefts.
A 35-year-old male from Fort McMurray remains in Police custody pending a Judicial Interim Hearing. The man is facing a number of criminal charges including:
- 2 counts of theft of vehicle
- Attempted theft of vehicle
- Dangerous Driving
- Assault
- 6 counts of failure to comply with Release Order
- Possession of break-in tools
- 3 counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident.
No injuries were reported to Police by the victims involved in the various collisions.
RCMP would like to ask anyone directly witnessing any of the events to contact Wood Buffalo RCMP at 780-788-4040. Anyone with surveillance or dash camera footage of any of these incidents are also asked to contact Police.
