A St. Albert man has pleaded guilty to two charges after ramming a police vehicle in Leduc.
The 35-year-old man was arrested in Leduc after backing into a cop car during a laser speed enforcement stop.
On April 3 the Leduc RCMP was conducting speed enforcement and noticed a truck travelling at an excessive speed and pulled the vehicle over.
The RCMP member was about to exit the police vehicle when the driver of the truck put the vehicle in reverse and rammed the RCMP vehicle. The driver then fled the scene and the police car suffered minor damage.
The Leduc RCMP said that the member was not injured during the incident.
"We are thankful no one was injured. It is a reminder of the dangers police officers face on a daily basis across the country when conducting traffic stops,” said Const. Bridget Morla of Leduc RCMP.
The RCMP with the help of the Edmonton Police Service’s Air One helicopter was able to locate the truck and the driver a short distance away.
Karl Duhamel of St. Albert, was charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of a controlled substance.
Duhamel appeared in court on April 5 in Leduc and pleaded guilty to both of the charges. He was sentenced to 45 days and was given credit for two days in custody. Duhamel was also ordered to pay a $200 victim fine surcharge.
This is the second time this year that there has been a St. Albert connection to a police vehicle ramming.
An Edmonton man was arrested on Feb. 28 in St. Albert after he rammed a police vehicle and several other parked vehicles to escape arrest.
At around 11 a.m. on Feb. 21 the St. Albert RCMP was actively trying to locate stolen vehicles when they noticed a stolen Mercedes SUV in the parking lot of Paul Kane High School. The silver 2009 Mercedes had been stolen earlier that day, at around 6:45 a.m. while it was idling on Foxborough Gardens.
The parking lot was empty and the RCMP activated their emergency lights and attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver drove into the police car instead. The Mercedes damaged the police car and hit several other parked cars as it pushed past them and left the parking lot.
The RCMP did not pursue the vehicle due to the dangerous behaviour of the driver.
Dylan Andres, 19, was arrested on on Feb. 28 at around 3:30 a.m. The Edmonton teen has been charged with flight from a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property over $5,000, failing to stop at the scene of a collision, assaulting a police officer, theft under $5,000 and two counts of breach of conditions.
