A passing motorist helped St. Albert RCMP nab a suspected car thief by offering a ride to a constable who was in the middle of a foot chase.
An RCMP officer spotted the suspect at Fountain Park Recreation Centre last Thursday afternoon at about 12:40 p.m. A foot chase proceeded westbound along Sir Winston Churchill Avenue and a second officer joined in.
Seeing that the officers weren’t gaining ground, a motorist stopped and offered a ride to the second officer, who accepted. The driver drove past the first constable and the fleeing suspect then stopped to let out his passenger, who tackled the suspect into a snow bank.
Police have no idea who the civilian helper was because he drove away before they could even thank him.
“It was extremely helpful,” said RCMP spokesperson Const. Janice Schoepp. “We may not have apprehended the suspect at that point if we hadn’t had the public’s assistance.”
Police generally appreciate offers of help from the public and would refuse if the situation was too dangerous, Schoepp said.
“People are generally willing to help if you’re just on the street but I don’t think it’s as common for someone to stop in a vehicle when they see you chasing someone,” she said.
Typically, it’s wise to stay back when police are involved in situations like chases but, in this case, the motorist made a sound judgment call, Schoepp said.
“He recognized that the officers weren’t going to be catching up without a little bit of motorized assistance,” she said.
The assisted chase came a day after police tried to apprehend the same suspect at Fountain Park, only to have him speed away and run a red light in the stolen car. At that time, officers didn’t give chase because of safety concerns but did positively identify the driver.
St. Albert resident Mitchell Wickstrom, 20, has been charged with possession of stolen property, flight from police, driving while disqualified and breach of probation.
Wickstrom is also charged with three counts of forcible confinement, as police allege three passengers in the stolen car had asked to be let out prior or during the first flight from police.
Wickstrom is in custody and appeared briefly via closed-circuit TV in St. Albert Provincial Court on Monday. He’ll appear again Jan. 4.
Wickstrom pleaded guilty last June to theft after having been caught driving a stolen pickup. In April he pleaded guilty to mischief, theft and taking a motor vehicle without consent. In November 2008 he pleaded guilty to a host of break-in and vandalism charges from the previous summer.
