It was a situation last Thursday that could have ended tragically, but the Weyburn Police Service was able to intervene to prevent that from happening.  

It all began with a call to the WPS regarding a hit-and-run. The complainant about the collision was following the suspect vehicle and had called the police. An officer located the vehicle and observed the erratic driving before initiating a traffic stop. The driver, though, did not want to cooperate.  

“The vehicle refused to stop, so he (the officer) for the safety of everyone involved, the public, pulled back and stopped the pursuit,” said Sergeant Shane St. John. “Then, more calls came in about this vehicle hitting more vehicles, some more property, and then officers did locate the vehicle on the edge of town.” 

The additional calls reported the vehicle was driving on its rims at the time of the stop by police.  

The person behind the wheel was a 19-year-old man, and he was arrested and is now facing a number of charges.  

“This is a very, very scary incident with alcohol involved and a clear disregard for anybody’s safety,” Sgt. St. John said. The man was charged with dangerous driving, flight from police, impaired driving, driving without a valid license, operating an unregistered vehicle, unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless use of a firearm, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle and a number of provincial offences. He also had an outstanding arrest warrant. 

“Thankfully, nobody got hurt, including the officers doing the stop,” St. John concluded.  

In all, the Weyburn Police Service responded to 112 calls for service last week, resulting in 58 charges being laid.