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Lethbridge man charged with assaulting an officer and possession of stolen vehicles

Dec 4, 2018 | 10:38 AM

LETHBRIDGE — A 31-year-old city man has been charged in connection with multiple crimes including assaulting an officer, evading police and possession of stolen property.

On Nov. 29, 2018 police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle along Fairmont Point South and noted the vehicle had been reported stolen.  An officer found the vehicle which was being driven by someone known to police.  The officer told the driver to exit the car but, the suspect put the vehicle in gear, collided with a parked police car and forcing the officer back in order to avoid being run over.

The driver fled at a high rate of speed down the wrong side of the road and at one point drove onto the sidewalk. The vehicle was located on December 2, in a north side back alley.

On Dec. 2, police responded to a report of another suspicious vehicle parked in the alley along the 1300 block of St. Arthur Road North with a man passed out behind the wheel. When they arrived, police recognized the driver as the man involved in the Nov. 29 incident.  The vehicle, which was also reported stolen, was boxed in to prevent the suspect from fleeing, and he was removed from the vehicle when he awoke.  

During a search of the suspect, police recovered the keys for the stolen car involved in the Nov. 29 incident.  As the driver displayed signs of impairment by street narcotics and a crack pipe and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the vehicle, he was assessed by a Drug Recognition Expert and bodily fluid samples collected and forwarded to the RCMP lab for analysis.

Michael Hahn, is charged with two counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, dangerous driving, disqualified driving, driving an uninsured motor vehicle, operate a motor vehicle without a subsisting certificate of registration, failing to remain at the scene of a collision, failing to stop for a peace officer and two counts of breach of a recognizance. Additional charges are pending.

Hahn has been remanded in custody to appear in court December 7.