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A 30-year-old man is facing charges in connection with a violent carjacking on a Saskatchewan highway on Tuesday, and a subsequent robbery.
According to the RCMP, the victim was in a truck, which was pulled over on the side of Highway 5, near Meacham, just before noon on Tuesday when a man approached the vehicle.
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“The male suspect assaulted the male in the truck with a weapon and stole his vehicle. The male suspect left the vehicle he was originally travelling in at the scene; that vehicle was determined to have been reported as stolen in Saskatoon previously,” the RCMP explained in a statement.
Police said the driver reported “non-life-threatening injuries” after the attack.
While officers were at the scene of the carjacking, they got a report of an armed robbery at a business near the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 2. The suspect fled in a truck, the Mounties said, heading southbound on Highway 2.
Police caught up with the alleged carjacker in the stolen truck just north of Watrous, but when the officers tried to pull him over, the driver reportedly took off at high speeds.
“Officers followed the vehicle, which abruptly reversed and narrowly missed hitting police vehicles several times. The vehicle also swerved to avoid a tire deflation device officers set up in an attempt to stop it,” the RCMP said.
“Eventually, the truck came to a stop. Officers told the male he was under arrest. He resisted. Officers deployed a conducted energy weapon and the male was arrested.”
The 30-year-old driver, a resident of the Keeseekoose First Nation, is now charged with robbery with a weapon, resisting arrest, assault with a weapon, dangerous driving, flight from police, and theft.
He made an appearance in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Wednesday, police said.
650 CKOM has confirmed the victim was driving a company vehicle that belonged to a directional drilling, hydrovac and utility business.
Axis Vac & HDD president Mitchell Willie said he’s grateful his employee was not seriously injured in the attack.
“Our employee is recovering well and is OK,” he said.
“We are very happy with the excellent work that the police did catching them so swiftly.”
