A 26 year-old Regina male is in custody and expected to face numerous charges as the result of an alleged vehicle theft, a series of collisions and near-collisions and evading police. Although police are still gathering reports and witness statements, a picture of the events is starting to emerge. Police are asking anyone, who may have witness information to add, to come to the Front Desk of Regina Police Service Headquarters to make a report.
At 8:46 a.m. on Monday, August 22, 2016, the Regina Police Service received a call of a grey sedan that collided with a tree on Cardinal Crescent. The driver managed to drive the vehicle away from the scene of the collision, in spite of significant damage. Police were able to obtain a description of the suspect male driving the sedan and, in the sightings that followed, the suspect matched this description. A short time after the collision on Cardinal Crescent, there was a report of a four-door sedan striking a vehicle in the 2800 block of Thornton Avenue. The driver abandoned the car at this address and fled on foot. At approximately 9:28 a.m., it was reported that a white, cleaning company van was stolen from a house in the 3000 block of L’Arche Crescent. The van had hoses hooked up to the house which left a trail of water as the vehicle fled. Over the next several minutes, patrol units tried to locate the vehicle, losing sight of it from time to time, as it drove erratically around South Regina. During this time, there were more reports received of a white van colliding with, or nearly colliding with vehicles; one near-collision involved a pedestrian. Just after 10:00 a.m., there was an unsuccessful attempt by police to contain the van at Mullin Avenue, but the stolen vehicle fled the scene. After another near-collision, with a semi, the van was finally slowed with the use of a spike belt in East Regina, but carried on and struck a fence and a residential water line on Braun Bay. The suspect exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.
At this stage in this investigation, it’s believed this chain of events involved at least three vehicle collisions, two property damage collisions (tree, fence) and three near-collisions (one involving a pedestrian). Fortunately, there was no one injured in these incidents.
The investigation into this matter is continuing. Investigators confirm the white van was stolen and are gathering more information about the grey sedan. Police are asking anyone, who may have witness information to add, to come to the Front Desk of Regina Police Service Headquarters to make a report. The Front Desk is Open between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. daily.
The driver of the vehicle is a 26 year-old Regina male. It’s anticipated there will be numerous charges as the result of investigation, but these details are not available at this time.
