SUNDRE — A Red Deer male faces several criminal charges and traffic violations after fleeing from an officer who had initially attempted to offer assistance.
At about 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, a member of the Sundre RCMP detachment was fuelling up their service vehicle at a local gas station when the officer observed a male standing outside his vehicle nearby.
The hood of the male’s vehicle was up, leading the officer to believe the individual was having mechanical troubles. As the officer proceeded to drive over in an attempt to offer assistance, the male immediately jumped into the driver’s side of the vehicle and sped off, initiating a pursuit, police said in a press release.
However, police said after the officer activated their sirens to attempt a traffic stop, the suspect instead continued to flee at a high rate of speed into a residential area. So in the interest of public safety, police said the officer immediately halted the pursuit and called for assistance from the Olds RCMP detachment.
While awaiting reinforcements, police said the officer continued to observe the suspect racing in and out of the residential areas, where the vehicle was eventually seen going down a dead-end road. Upon cautiously proceeding to follow the suspect, police said the officer discovered the vehicle abandoned after it had collided with some garbage bins and came to a rest partly on a residential yard.
“With the assistance of the Olds RCMP, patrols were conducted within a set perimeter and a lone male was located walking nearby,” police said, adding the Sundre police officer identified the male as the driver, who was subsequently arrested.
Police said a lawful search of the vehicle was conducted wherein the police not only located methamphetamine as well as break and enter tools, but also found a large tow strap affixed to the rear of the vehicle. The male also had a Canada-wide driving prohibition.
Mathew Joseph Duda, 33, of Red Deer, was criminally charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance, operating a conveyance while prohibited, fleeing from police, as well as possession of break-in instruments and numerous provincial traffic violations.
Duda was brought before a justice of the peace where he was released on a cash surety with court-imposed conditions and ordered to appear in provincial court in Didsbury on Jan. 4, 2021 to speak to the allegations.
