In the early hours of November 2nd, the Weyburn Police Service attempted to conduct a traffic stop when the vehicle fled the scene at a dangerously high rate of speed. Deputy Chief Shane St. John says police did not pursue for public safety.
“They did locate the vehicle just in general patrol a short time later. Luckily, the person did comply and stopped, but they were very aggressive with police. They were charged with some very serious offenses. Something that could have been stopped right away with them just complying and pulling over. They would have had an impaired for sure, because they were charged with that, but they really escalated that, and they put everyone in the public at risk and themselves and us.”
The driver was impaired which, St. John adds, influences individuals to make poor decisions they may not otherwise have made.
In this circumstance police located the vehicle later while on patrol, in other cases they will communicate with other police departments to find fleeing suspects.
“If we sort of know where they're headed, we could phone RCMP in the area. We could phone Regina police service maybe [and say] ‘Hey, we think this vehicle or this person is coming to your area. Please keep a lookout for that vehicle’ and then let them know the risks. If they evaded police, we'd let them know.”
There is also the Canadian Police Information Centre which allows police to communicate across the province, there they can put out a BOLO code (be on the lookout).
The driver was charged with dangerous driving, evading police, impaired driving, and exceeding the legal alcohol limit. They were released with an upcoming court date.
The Weyburn Police Service responded to 74 calls for service from October 27th to November 3rd. A total of 18 charges were laid, ten under the Criminal Code of Canada, and eight under the Traffic Safety Act.