Man leads police on wild snowmobile chase through Brandon

Brandon Police Service Media Release

On March 20th at approximately 4:20 a.m., Police responded to a complaint of a snowmobile driving in a back lane in the area of 4^th Street North. Police located and attempted to stop the snowmobile however, it sped off refusing to stop. Officers were able to establish a perimeter around the snowmobile and maintain visual contact as it continued attempts to evade officers. The suspect crossed residential yards, open fields and the Assiniboine River in attempts to escape. At one point, the suspect fell off the snowmobile near Dinsdale Park but managed to get back on and continue to drive away. The suspect then drove west on the river to 18^th Street and eventually outside the city. At approximately 5:40 a.m., Police located the snowmobile north of the river and west of 50^th Street however the suspect was gone. Police k-9 conducted a track and at 6:42 a.m., an officer observed the suspect hunkered down alongside Grand Valley Road. The suspect then again fled on foot back towards the river. Officers maintained the perimeter and the K-9 unit continued to track the suspect. The suspect eventually ran out onto the 3100 Block of McDonald Avenue and was taken into custody at approximately 7:30 a.m. The 29-year-old man from Killarney Manitoba was arrested for Theft Over $5000, Obstruct Police Officer and Flight from Police. The male was transported to hospital for injuries sustained as a result of falling off the snowmobile and crashing the machine. He is scheduled to appear in Court on Monday.  Investigation continues with respect to the details surrounding the theft of the snowmobile. On March 19th at approximately 8:15 p.m., Police attempted to stop a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria for driving with expired registration. The vehicle refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed. Officers pursued the vehicle on 1st North however due to the extreme speeds and erratic driving of the suspect, Police abandoned the pursuit near the trans Canada Highway. The continued investigation revealed that this suspect was the same male arrested in relation to the stolen snowmobile incident.