Calgary police officer cleared in shooting of stolen vehicle in Martindale
Calgary police officer cleared in shooting of stolen vehicle in Martindale
Police say the vehicle was being driven erratically at times before it crashed into a home the in the northwest on September 25, 2018.
Alberta's police watchdog has cleared a Calgary Police Service (CPS) officer of any wrongdoing after he fired several shots at a stolen truck being driven erratically in the community of Martindale back in 2018.
The officer in question was patrolling northeast Calgary in a marked police cruiser with a second officer on the evening of the shooting, which occurred on Sept. 24.
According to the report, the pair checked the licence plate of a white GMC truck and determined it was stolen. The officers didn't attempt to stop the truck, and instead followed it while waiting for backup.
Though they lost sight of the truck at 11:33 p.m., the officers were able to locate it three minutes later, parked in front of the driveway of a home in Martindale.
The officers pulled up and parked behind the truck, exited their cruiser and began approaching the vehicle.
The report says both officers drew their firearms after seeing the driver "raise his hands briefly."
Instead of surrendering, the driver started the truck, drove it forward onto the driveway, then "quickly reversed" the vehicle – coming close to hitting the second officer.
The driver continued backing up, clipping the police cruiser before driving onto the lawns of adjacent houses and hitting a nearby garage.
The officer in question fired five shots at the truck, hitting the front passenger-side tire, but the driver continued on.
With the use of the HAWCS helicopter, police followed the truck's movements as it travelled through residential neighbourhoods and eventually lost control and came to rest on the front yard of a home.
Officers, with the help of a police dog, arrested the suspect.
His only injures were "superficial lacerations from the dog bite."
ASIRT noted the suspect was in possession of methamphetamine upon his arrest, and told hospital staff "that he had consumed methamphetamine that evening."
EVIDENCE WAS LIMITED
ASIRT noted in its report that the evidence available in the investigation was "more limited than other similar investigations" as neither the officer who fired the shots nor the driver of the stolen truck provided a statement to investigators.
In addition, ASIRT said the video camera in the police cruiser wasn't recording at the time of the shooting, as the camera is activated by the vehicle’s emergency lights – which weren't on.
As such, most of the evidence from the investigation came from the second officer.
DRIVER WAS A 'SERIOUS RISK'
ASIRT concluded the suspect was "driving very erratically, and apparently unable to avoid hitting a garage" adding he was a "serious risk to the officers on foot around him."
Police officers are permitted to use as much force as is necessary for execution of their duties, and ASIRT found the of force by the officer was proportionate, necessary, and reasonable.
"As a result, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence was committed."
U.S. President Joe Biden is using his State of the Union address Tuesday night to call on Republicans to work with him to 'finish the job' of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he seeks to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate political divisions in Washington.
After raising interest rates eight consecutive times, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told an audience in Quebec City on Tuesday that inflation is showing signs of 'turning the corner' and that the coming year 'will be different.'
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
While much of internet is still buzzing about the wonders of ChatGPT, a Toronto-based technology and visual effects company is making its own splash in Hollywood using artificial intelligence.
As negotiations continue between premiers and the federal government, former Quebec premier Jean Charest is criticizing the feds' string-attached approach to health-care funding, stating that Ottawa should not be in the business of operating health-care systems.
We may soon be able to detect humidity levels, respiratory changes or a too-wet diaper, all with a new type of sensor — one created by drawing with a pencil on specially-treated paper.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
A 24-year-old man now linked to an unusual string of crimes that kept the Dallas Zoo on the lookout for missing animals told police that after he swiped two monkeys from their enclosure, he took them onto the city's light rail system to make his getaway, court records show.
Balloons and drones were among 768 reported UFO sightings in Canada last year, according to Winnipeg-based researcher Chris Rutkowski, who also found that eight per cent of all cases remained unexplained.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed her concerns with the federal government's proposed 'just transition' legislation directly to the prime minister on Tuesday, saying she hopes the two can find some common ground.
While some premiers are calling the health-care offer presented by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday "disappointing," B.C.'s David Eby stopped short of that characterization.
At 2:18 Run in Victoria, Phil Nicholls is wondering what an economic slowdown might mean for his small business specializing in high-end sneakers and clothing.
A former medical student who claims he fatally shot a fellow student in self-defence during a drug deal in Halifax denied Tuesday he planned to kill the man and steal the marijuana he was carrying.
Retirement is bittersweet for a Nova Scotia doctor who says she feels like she has abandoned the 2,000 patients she has been caring for because she was not able to find a doctor to replace her.
A Victoria man says a series of devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria have left him feeling nearly paralyzed, as the death toll from the quakes rises above 6,200 people.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Meaghan Maloney of London, Ont. said she was driving on her way to work, along Highway 401, in her 2023 Nissan Rogue when the sunroof shattered without warning.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Quebec interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay says that in wanting to close Roxham Road to prevent irregular entry of asylum seekers into Quebec, the Parti Québécois and its leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon are behaving like Donald Trump.
There is a new sign of financial issues with an Ottawa construction company that suddenly closed, leaving customers with unfinished projects unable to recoup their losses.
A dog in desperate need of care was found abandoned during frigid temperatures over the weekend and is just one of the many cases of abandoned dogs, according to Animal Control in that area.
Roundabouts are under the microscope in Waterloo region as regional councillors are reviewing the safety of the road design following a pair of serious collisions involving pedestrians.
Robyn Silvernagle will be making her third appearance at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts next week in Kamloops, BC, just weeks after her team was put together.
Residents at a downtown Saskatoon apartment complex are speaking out about what they say are unreasonable rent increases and a lack of attention to building repairs.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
A forensic pathologist offered her expert opinion on how Catlin Goodwill’s three-month-old son died suddenly in October 2017, during testimony on the second day of trial.
Police say the vehicle was being driven erratically at times before it crashed into a home the in the northwest on September 25, 2018.
