CALGARY -- A 35-year-old man from Sylvan Lake, Alta. is facing a long list of charges after he fled from police and ended up crashing into multiple police vehicles at a roadblock.

The incident began at 7:21 a.m. on July 29 when Didsbury RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious man inside a vehicle near a home in Carstairs.

When police attended, they found the man but he fled on foot.

Officials say he then broke into a garage and jumped into a van parked inside. As police were attempting to pull him out of the vehicle, he exited the garage at a high rate of speed, colliding with the wall in his escape.

The suspect then fled Carstairs, driving eastbound on Highway 581 and continuing southbound on the QEII.

Additional units were called when the suspect crossed the centre median and headed in the opposite direction of traffic.

Police say multiple civilian vehicles were forced off the highway to avoid being hit.

As the suspect continued southbound, he encountered a roadblock set up by RCMP in the northbound lanes. As he approached, he performed an evasive maneuver meant to avoid the vehicles.

Instead, the suspect crashed into a number of police vehicles before coming to a rest in the ditch.

He was then arrested without further incident and taken to hospital for assessment.

Three RCMP officers were assessed at the scene by EMS but only two suffered minor injuries.

The crash scene resulted in a lengthy closure affecting the northbound lanes of the QEII.

Kyle Robert Meckler, 35, of Sylvan Lake, has been charged with 18 offences under the Criminal Code and two violations of the Traffic Safety Act:

  • Break and enter into a dwelling
  • Attempted theft of a motor vehicle
  • Possession of stolen property over $5,000
  • Two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance
  • Operation while prohibited
  • Flight from peace officer
  • Fail to stop after accident
  • Resist arrest
  • Escape lawful custody
  • Eight counts of failure to comply with conditions
  • Two counts of operating an uninsured motor vehicle (TSA)

Meckler appeared in Calgary provincial court Friday.