A 27-year-old Calgary man is facing multiple charges related to the theft of a vehicle carrying a five-month-old baby in Strathmore, Alta., over the weekend.
In a news release issued Tuesday, the RCMP said the robbery occurred shortly before 10:30 p.m. Saturday near a Strathmore hotel when the original drivers “stopped to rest and were alongside the vehicle.” ”.
They said one of the robbery victims flagged down another vehicle that began following the stolen vehicle and called 911 to report the theft. The RCMP said police officers were able to get close to the stolen vehicle while the Calgary Police Service helicopter monitored the situation from the sky.
“The vehicle traveled through rural roads at high speeds before entering Westbound Highway 1 reaching speeds of more than 160 km/h,” the RCMP alleged. “The vehicle was followed by police until it reached the overpass on Highway 1 and Highway 9, where it came to a stop in the inside (or) express lane.”
Police said at the time that the driver “extracted the child from the vehicle as responding members positioned themselves behind him,” adding that the child was placed on the side of the road before the vehicle sped away. while the driver allegedly ignored police orders.
“One of the responding Strathmore members rushed over and lifted the baby off the road,” the RCMP said, adding that the baby was reunited with the mother that night.
The CPS helicopter followed the stolen vehicle as it traveled down Highway 1 toward rural roads near Chestermere.
“(The driver) came to a gate in a new development and got stuck while trying to dodge police,” the RCMP said. “(The driver) fled on foot but remained visible… (to the CPS helicopter).”
READ MORE: Baby found safe after vehicle stolen in northeast Calgary
RCMP officers on the ground arrested a suspect.
Mounties said they typically discourage people from following a stolen vehicle “as it creates a high-risk situation where everyone involved could be seriously injured or worse,” but noted the theft was a unique situation in the that the safety and well-being of an innocent child were at risk.
“I would like to thank our community member who stopped by to provide assistance and helped pass along valuable information to our responding members,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz, Commander of the Strathmore RCMP Detachment. “This is a strong example of a close community taking care of one another.
“I am grateful that we were able to reunite the boy with his family and that no one was injured.”
Wielgosz added that the RCMP is grateful for its close working relationship with law enforcement in other jurisdictions who, in this situation, helped generate a coordinated response, which he said “was an important factor in bringing about a safe end to this incident.” “. .”
Tejinder Brar has been charged with kidnapping a child under the age of 14, theft from a motor vehicle, fleeing from police, dangerous driving and breaching release conditions.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca