On Sunday, August 6th, RCMP officers from the Spruce Plains/Neepawa detachment got a request from the Niagara Regional Police Service in Ontario to intercept a vehicle being driven by a 45-year-old man from Niagara Falls.
At the time, he and a 48-year-old female passenger were travelling west on Highway 16 about 10 kilometers east of Neepawa. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the suspect vehicle kept driving. A spike belt was then used, which the suspect vehicle drove over.
The driver was eventually forced to come to a stop on a residential street in Neepawa where he then fled on foot. The 48-year-old female passenger, who police were worried may have been the victim of an assault, stayed behind and waited for police. She was physically uninjured.
Upon a search of the vehicle, 4800 unmarked cigarettes were found, but the 45-year-old male suspect was nowhere to be seen. The previously-mentioned passenger was taken to the Neepawa RCMP detachment and released without charge.
[Image - seized cigarettes - provided by RCMP]
A day later on Monday this week, authorities received information that the suspect was staying at a motel in Brandon. Police from Brandon followed up on the information and located the suspect in one of the rooms. He was arrested without incident and remanded into custody.
He faces charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, forcible confinement, flight from police, and operating a motor vehicle while prohibited.
Spruce Plains RCMP continue to investigate.
