On that day at about 3:10 a.m., members of the Grande Prairie RCMP received information about two suspicious males in a residential area. Two police vehicles responded to the area, and members located two men on bicycles at 108 Avenue and 99 Street. One of the bicycles was towing a metal dolly with a large square safe strapped to it. The man in possession of the safe, which was later determined to be stolen, was detained immediately. The second man fled the area on a bicycle, heading toward 107 Avenue.
An additional marked police vehicle entered the area, and was directed to 107 Avenue to locate the fleeing man. The man was located travelling eastbound on 107 Avenue between 99 Street and 98 Street, and the police vehicle’s emergency equipment was activated. The man on the bicycle left the road and travelled diagonally across the lawn of a residential property, with the police vehicle closing the distance behind him. At approximately 3:22 a.m., the police vehicle collided with the man on the bicycle in the side yard of the residence. The man sustained serious injuries during the collision and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were requested. RCMP members administered first aid to the man until the arrival of EMS, who took over care of the man, before transporting him to hospital in Grande Prairie. The man remains in hospital in stable condition.
ASIRT’s investigation will examine the actions of police during this incident to determine if those actions were lawful, while the RCMP will maintain responsibility for the investigation into the man and his actions.
As ASIRT’s investigation is underway, no further information will be released at this time.
ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
This release is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.