Stolen vehicle investigation in northwest Regina leads to standoff

An investigation into a stolen vehicle led to some schools in Regina’s northwest going into secure-the-building mode Monday morning.

In a media release late Monday afternoon, Regina police said the incident intensified just after 11 a.m. Police used a spike belt to stop the vehicle in the 400 block of Rink Avenue, but the driver refused to get out.

“Additional Patrol units and School Resource Officers set up a perimeter in the area, traffic was blocked off, and nearby elementary schools were put into secure-the-building mode,” the police release said.

W.H. Ford School is near that spot, while St. Jerome School and Ecole Centennial School are in the neighbourhood.

According to police, SWAT and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. As SWAT pulled up, the suspect vehicle started heading east on Rink.

“A police vehicle made contact with the suspect vehicle and the driver of the suspect vehicle continued to travel towards the police perimeter,” the release said. “The suspect vehicle struck a police vehicle that was holding the perimeter. The vehicle then continued driving down Rink Avenue and across McCarthy Boulevard.”

Police said the driver finally lost control of the vehicle and stopped in the 200 block of Rink, where he took off on foot. With more schools in the area — including Henry Janzen and St. Bernadette — police said SWAT members used “a less-lethal impact munition” to subdue the man just before noon.

A 32-year-old Regina man is facing 14 charges, including dangerous driving, assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest, impaired driving, theft of a vehicle, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

He’s to make his first court appearance Tuesday.