PENHOLD – An Innisfail RCMP officer was dragged five metres by a fleeing angry suspect in his vehicle who was stopped by Mounties outside the Penholder Inn.
Fortunately the Mountie sustained only minor injuries but the incident raised concern with local RCMP as there was also a previous incident on Dec. 7 in Penhold when another local police officer was forced to become involved in an altercation while on duty.
“It’s concerning. I don’t want to see any members get hurt. They are attempting to flee,” said Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk, noting in the latest incident on Dec. 16 an Innisfail Mountie was also attempting to make an arrest when he was assaulted.
“He was just beside the vehicle and had some very, very, very minor injuries. He wasn’t injured at all. He is OK. He’s fine,” said Matechuk.
While on routine patrol in Penhold at about 11 p.m. on Dec. 16, RCMP officers observed a vehicle idling outside the Penholder Inn, said Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Lori Eiler.
She said police conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle and noted its licence plate was registered to a different vehicle.
When police approached, the lone male driver became agitated, yelling at police to shut their lights off, rolled his windows up and locked his doors, said Eiler.
She said police continued to interact with the driver but he reversed his vehicle into the front of the fully marked police vehicle that was parked behind him and caused damage.
Eiler said police attempted to arrest the man and an altercation ensued, resulting in a police officer being dragged about five metres. She said the police officer sustained minor injuries as a result of the altercation. The vehicle fled the scene.
Eiler said Red Deer city RCMP located the vehicle in Red Deer but the suspect was not initially found. Both the Innisfail and Red Deer detachments continued to investigate, and ultimately located the male and arrested him without further incident.
Chasetin Morin, 24, of Red Deer, is facing two charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, resisting arrest, failing to stop for a police officer, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, two counts of breaching a recognizance, driving an uninsured motor vehicle, failing to remain at the scene of a collision, driving while unauthorized, driving at unreasonable speed and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Morin was remanded into custody to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Dec. 18.
