Medicine Hat man, Taber woman facing numerous charges after high speed pursuit ends near Foremost
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LETHBRIDGE – Two people have now been charged with a number of offences after a dramatic, two hour long police chase that ended in a farmer’s field in Foremost Wednesday (July 14) afternoon.
RCMP Corporal Curtis Peters says the incident began when a man near Raymond reported that he’d seen the truck he had reported stolen in May, at a home in the town. Police went to the home to investigate, and saw the truck driving away. The officer tried stopping it, when it suddenly reversed direction, and hit the RCMP car with enough force to disable it.
Peters says a second officer on route chased the truck as it went into a field, but the truck again rammed the second police vehicle as well, stopping it. It was at this time, that the second officer shot his weapon and called for help from surrounding RCMP detachments, Lethbridge and Calgary Police.
Peters adds that a short time later, officers from Coaldale, Picture Butte and Bow Island located the red Dodge truck, and pursued it, with speeds getting up to 170 km/hr. A third RCMP vehicle was used to “make contact” with the truck to stop it from going any further.
The truck then went into a farmer’s field and two people inside were arrested and taken into custody. Inside the truck, police found two longuns, and a loaded sawed off shotgun.
The driver of the stolen truck, 31- year old Joshua Schmaltz from Medicine Hat, has been charged with numerous offences including forcible confinement, assault, and escaping lawful custody.
Passenger, 39-year old Lori Malinsky from Taber, has been charged with theft, possession of stolen property and flight from police.
Both are also facing a number of other charges.
The first officer involved in a collision was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.
A separate investigation is now also going on into the officer- involved shooting, by the RCMP Serious Crimes Branch.
