RPS airplane helps lead officers to alleged dangerous driver

Regina’s police plane helped track down an alleged dangerous driver last week.

In a media release Wednesday, police said officers in the plane saw a speeding vehicle Thursday at about 11:20 p.m. Police subsequently determined the vehicle had been stolen, so patrol units tried to stop it in the area of Seventh Avenue and Cavendish Street. The driver didn’t stop and sped off.

Using the thermal imaging technology on the plane’s camera, officers kept an eye on the suspect vehicle and saw it crash into another vehicle at the intersection of Cavendish Street and Dewdney Avenue. Police say the driver of the stolen vehicle didn’t stop after the collision and kept driving erratically on Dewdney Avenue.

A police spike belt stopped the vehicle in the area of Dewdney Avenue and Winnipeg Street, where four males got out of the vehicle and ran.

Police said the officers in the plane guided patrol officers to the location of the driver, while other officers chased down and arrested two other suspects. The fourth suspect was apprehended by members of the Canine Unit; the police dog bit that suspect, who was treated by paramedics for his injuries.

After the investigation, police charged a 15-year-old boy with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failure to stop after an accident, and flight from a peace officer. A 14-year-old boy was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and failure to comply with disposition.

Neither suspect can be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They appeared in court on Friday.

Police didn’t say why the other two youths from the vehicle weren’t charged.