Steinbach RCMP are reporting that an arrest has been made in connection to an incident where a suspect recently tried to escape officers, ramming a number of police vehicles in the process.
On January 11, 2024, at approximately 8:25am, Steinbach RCMP received a report stating that a pickup truck had just been stolen at a location on Brandt Street in Steinbach.
Officers on patrol located the stolen vehicle driving in Steinbach and initiated a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop, fled the scene and eventually ended up at a dead-end street. Officers contained the area, however the driver rammed and pushed a police vehicle out of the way in the process. A second police vehicle attempted to stop the stolen truck, at which point the suspect struck the police vehicle, and then collided with a fence.
Police noted that during the incident, the stolen vehicle also struck a parked civilian vehicle. Also, one of the officers involved was injured and taken to hospital where he was treated and released.
RCMP report that the driver and passenger of the pickup were subsequently arrested. As a result, 39-year-old James Friesen is facing numerous charges related to this incident, including assault on peace officer with a weapon and possession of property obtained by crime. Friesen was remanded into custody and the passenger was released with no charges.
