Police chase starts with man lighting fire, ends in farmyard

A high-speed police chase in and around Regina on Wednesday started with a report of a man trying to light a fire.

Police said officers were dispatched to Balzer Street where they found the man, but when officers approached him, he jumped into a vehicle and took off, driving in what police called “a dangerous manner, at high rates of speed, throughout the city.”

The vehicle was found to be recently stolen from Balgonie, police said, and was carrying a recently stolen licence plate that didn’t match the vehicle.

“Police successfully deployed a tire deflation device but the vehicle continued to drive with deflated tires both in and outside the city of Regina,” police said in a statement.

The driver then abandoned the vehicle, police said, but he quickly found and stole a new set of wheels which had been left running with the doors unlocked in Emerald Park.

The man drove back to Regina, where police said another tire deflation device was deployed, but once again the suspect continued to flee on the damaged tires.

The chase finally came to an end in a farmyard south of Regina where officers performed “a high-risk vehicle stop” and arrested the driver.

The 31-year-old was found to be carrying a knife and ID documents that didn’t belong to him, police said. After his arrest, police said they determined he was also involved in two other auto thefts earlier in the week.

He’s now facing a lengthy list of criminal charges, police said, including dangerous driving, motor vehicle theft, breaching a release order, possession of stolen property, fleeing from peace officers, and identity fraud.