A lot of police services got in on the action yesterday (March 14) during the recovery of a stolen vehicle in Rocky View County near Crossfield.  

The incident started around 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon when Airdrie Rural RCMP was alerted by Calgary Police Service (CPS) to the stolen car being driven into the RCMP's jurisdiction.  The CPS Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety (HAWCS) was following a stolen Nissan Maxima northbound from Calgary into Rocky View County.

Airdrie RCMP Constable Dan Martin explains that the vehicle was being driven on Rocky View's range roads to the west of Airdrie.  HAWCS was able to confirm where the vehicle was heading, what speeds it was travelling and that it indeed was a stolen vehicle.

"Airdrie Rural RCMP were able to get into a position to attempt to stop it.  We're not sure if they saw police vehicles or what but the vehicle started to drive quite erratically which poses a threat to the public using those roads.  Airdrie Rural RCMP were able to set up and deploy a spike belt on Range Road 292 just north of Crossfield and HAWCS helicopter, working with those members on the ground, were able to stop the vehicle."

Martin says RCMP Police Dog Services (PDS) were in the area to assist in case the suspects attempted to flee on foot.  "RCMP PDS members arrested the two males in the car and virtually handed them over to Calgary Police Service members who were in the area for further investigation as the vehicle was stolen out of their area."  Martin says, because of that, the names of the men won't be released by Airdrie RCMP.

According to Martin, the vehicle reached speeds of up to 170 kmh at times while trying to escape from police.  It also went through Crossfield driving at excessive speed.

Martin believes the incident highlights the teamwork between the Airdrie RCMP and CPS.  "There's a lot of units working out of Calgary Police Services and with the growth of the Airdrie RCMP detachment we also have some extra units coming on board and it's good to see everybody working together to help reduce crime and catch these bad guys when they can."  

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