Meadow Lake RCMP officers exposed to ‘foreign substance’ during arrests

Two RCMP officers from the Meadow Lake detachment didn’t suffer any lasting injuries after being exposed to some kind of noxious substance during an arrest Friday evening.

On Tuesday, the Mounties said the Meadow Lake RCMP got two complaints Friday of a car driving erratically on Highway 55. It was determined the car had been stolen in Prince Albert.

An officer saw the vehicle on the highway and activated the RCMP vehicle’s lights and siren, but the car didn’t stop. It was found in the parking lot of a business in Meadow Lake shortly after.

“The RCMP vehicle parked behind the car and the responding officer attempted to arrest the male driver of the car,” the police said in a media release. “The male driver began backing into the police vehicle with the car and the female passenger in the car attempted to prevent the male from being arrested. A second RCMP officer arrived to assist.”

Two people from the business came to the officers’ aid and the man who had been driving the car was arrested.

The passenger got out carrying what was believed to be a firearm and ran off. She was arrested about a block away by the same civilians and police, and the stock of a shotgun was found in a nearby garbage bin.

According to the RCMP, the two officers immediately starting feeling symptoms “possibly associated to inhaling/being exposed to a foreign substance.” They were examined by medical professionals.

The two people from the business who helped out didn’t have any symptoms.

A 22-year-old man from Sandy Bay is facing 13 charges as a result of the incident, while a 24-year-old woman is facing six charges.