A man from Medicine Hat and his passenger, a woman from Taber, will soon face charges in connection with Wednesday afternoon’s attempted getaway in a stolen pickup truck that left three RCMP units damaged.

At approximately 2:00 p.m., a civilian spotted his Dodge pickup truck, which had been stolen in May, in the town of Raymond and alerted RCMP. Officers arrived as the driver of the stolen truck was pulling away from a residence. When RCMP attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver allegedly put the truck in reverse and slammed into the marked unit, rendering the RCMP vehicle immobile. The officer suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital for treatment.

A second RCMP unit from the Raymond detachment pursued the stolen pickup as the truck left town and entered a field. The driver of the stolen truck rammed the truck into the RCMP unit. The collision left the RCMP vehicle with significant damage and the RCMP officer fired his service pistol at the suspect vehicle. 

Additional police resources, including the Calgary Police Service’s helicopter (HAWCS) and members of the Lethbridge Police Service, Taber Police Service and RCMP, were deployed and pursued the stolen truck. The truck travelled on highways, reaching speeds of up to 170 km/h as the driver attempted to evade police.

Nearly two hours after the original call in Raymond, a marked police vehicle collided with the stolen truck near the village of Foremost and the two occupants of the truck were apprehended. A search of the truck resulted in the seizure of:

  • A rifle
  • A shotgun
  • A loaded sawed-off shotgun

“There were a total of three police cars that suffered significant damage in three separate incidents,” said RCMP Superintendent Garrett Woolsey, the assistant district commander for the RCMP in southern Alberta. “Two of the vehicles were damaged deliberately by the suspect, it’s alleged. The third vehicle was engaged with the suspect at the end of the pursuit and that was a decision, made by the supervisor at the scene, to have our members engage physically with the vehicle in order to end the pursuit safely.”

Charges are pending against the two suspects in connection with the events of June 14 but both of the occupants of the stolen truck were wanted in connection with prior offences.

Joshua Schmaltz, a 31-year-old man from Medicine Hat, was wanted in connection with charges related to:

  • Forcible confinement
  • Assault
  • Escaping lawful custody

Arrest warrants had been issued for Lori Malinsky, a 39-year-old woman from Taber, in connection with:

  • Theft
  • Possession of stolen property
  • Flight from police

Members of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), as they do with any incident where a police weapon was fired, are investigating the actions of the RCMP officer who fired their service pistol.