On April 24, 2021 at around 3:10 a.m., the Grande Prairie RCMP received information of two suspicious people on bicycles in a residential area. Two police vehicles responded to the area and members located two men on bicycles at 108 Avenue and 99 Street. One bicycle was towing a metal dolly with a large square safe strapped onto it. The man with the safe was detained immediately, and it was later determined the safe was stolen. The second man fled the scene on a bicycle heading towards 107 Avenue.
An additional marked police vehicle entered the area, and was directed to locate the man that fled on the bicycle towards 107 Avenue. The man was found heading eastbound towards 107 Avenue between 99 Street and 98 Street and the police activated their emergency equipment. The man on the bicycle left the road and started travelling across a residential property’s lawn as police were closing in on him.
At approximately 3:22 a.m., a police vehicle collided with the man on the bicycle in the side yard of a residence. The man sustained serious injuries from the collision and EMS were requested to the scene. RCMP members administered first aid to the man until EMS took over and transported him to hospital care in Grande Prairie.
The 28-year-old man remains in stable condition in the hospital.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team will be investigating the actions of the police during this incident to determine if actions were lawful, while the RCMP will be handling the investigation into the man and his actions.
As ASIRT’s investigation is currently underway, no more information will be released at this time.
ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
-Erika Rolling, Trending 55 Newsroom
