RCMP officers take down shovel-wielding man near Estevan

A wild incident Friday involving a three-vehicle crash and a man wielding a shovel resulted in Highway 47 being closed for a couple of hours — and charges against the man.

The RCMP said the incident began at around 11 p.m., when officers got a call about a crash on the highway north of Estevan.

“Initial investigation determined a vehicle was travelling southbound when an adult male passenger attempted to gain control of the vehicle, causing it to stop in the middle of the road,” the Mounties said in a media release.

“A second vehicle, with one lone occupant, collided with the first vehicle. The adult male — who was injured as a result of the collision — then assaulted and attempted to rob the driver of the second vehicle.”

According to the RCMP, the man then grabbed a shovel and tried to stop other vehicles as they passed the scene.

“He climbed in the passenger window of one of the vehicles, which ended up in the ditch,” the release continued.

“Officers arrived on scene and told the male he was under arrest. The male did not comply and rushed at one of the officers and attempted to pull their conducted energy device from their uniform. Another officer deployed their conducted energy device. The male continued to resist and attempted to assault the officers, but was arrested a short time later.”

The suspect was taken to hospital for treatment of the injuries he suffered in the crash. The driver of the other vehicle also was treated at hospital.

The highway reopened after two hours following the police investigation.

A 19-year-old Manitoba man was charged with four counts of assault with intent to steal, three counts of assault, two counts of mischief under $5,000, and one count each of resisting arrest, disarming a police officer, and failing to comply with release order condition.

He appeared in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday.