The Winnipeg Police Service has released dramatic video showing of a takedown of a 32-year old man arrested in connection with a woman’s kidnapping.
Police said early Saturday morning officers first noticed a vehicle driving erratically in the city’s North End near McGregor Street and Jarvis Avenue.
At the time the police helicopter, Air 1, was in the downtown area near Assiniboine Avenue, and officers had no idea about the woman in the vehicle.
Police said within 30 minutes police identified the vehicle in question and pursued it before the man was arrested in a field off the Perimeter Highway in West St. Paul.
The video shows the helicopter focusing in on the vehicle driving erratically, following it through the city and on the Perimeter Highway where at one point the vehicle drove into oncoming traffic at an estimated speed of 160 to 170 km/h.
The arrest was also made with the help of a ‘StopStick’ , a device made with metal spikes and plastic. The device was deployed on the highway. It punctured one of the tires on the man’s vehicle, which eventually caused it to come to a stop. The man then ran into a field, where he surrendered and officers made the arrest.
Police said the arrest happened about one hour after the woman was put in the vehicle against her will in the Weston area.
"She didn't choose to be in that vehicle, and I think if she chose to get out of that vehicle anytime she would have, and we consider what happened a kidnapping,” alleged Const. Jay Murray.
He said police don't know where the man was taking the woman.
"There's a lot of speculation on the officers’ part that this individual didn't want to come to a stop. You can imagine likely so that she couldn't get out the vehicle. That's what clued officers in the first place that it ran a stop sign, so we're not sure what would have been the end result if we had not intercepted the vehicle," Murray said.
He said without the bird’s-eye perspective of Air 1, the pursuit could have dragged on for significantly more time, with officers chasing the suspect close behind.
"You see this in the States, pursuits that go on forever and ever."
"You can only imagine if a cruiser car was bearing down on it, what this person might have done. Air 1 allows us to back off. As soon as Air 1 takes over as they can retreat and maintain their distance. It's safer for the officers, it's safer for the individuals on the street and you hope someone would slow down, in this case they didn't.”
Police are not releasing the name of the man because they said the incident was domestic in nature.
