The Mounties got their man in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, but not before the suspect drove straight at an officer who narrowly escaped injury.Last week, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Meadow Lake Crime Reduction Team (CRT) was conducting patrols in La Ronge, about 250 km north of Prince Albert.Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Highway #2. The vehicle did not stop and continued on at a high rate of speed. Officers followed but did not pursue it after assessing the public safety risk when the vehicle entered a residential area.Officers from the La Ronge Detachment and La Ronge CRT joined Meadow Lake CRT in the search for the vehicle.Meadow Lake CRT located it parked in a driveway on Jimmy Roberts Road. Officers surrounded it and told the driver he was under arrest. The male drove directly toward an officer, who was on foot, at a high rate of speed. The officer had to quickly move aside to avoid being hit by the vehicle.Given this escalated safety risk, officers entered a pursuit with the vehicle. The vehicle did an abrupt U-turn and came head-on at a police vehicle. The officer driving it had to swerve to avoid a collision.Officers collaborated to pin the vehicle in. The male continued to rev the vehicle’s engine and try to free his vehicle. He also resisted arrest. However, officers brought him into custody without further incident.“This was an incredibly dangerous situation. It’s very fortunate that no one, including police officers, members of the public, or the suspect himself, was hurt,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan How, north district manager for Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team.“That’s very much thanks to the quick thinking and collaboration of all the responding Saskatchewan RCMP officers. It’s an unfortunate reality that our officers have to be ever-ready to evade deliberate attempts to harm them while they work to uphold community safety.”Further investigation determined the male was on release order conditions issued on March 11, including a 24-hour curfew. The release order was in relation to charges including possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.During subsequent search of the male and the vehicle, officers located and seized approximately 26 grams of cocaine, 1.6 grams of methamphetamine, 3 grams of cannabis, two pharmaceutical-style pills, a knife, trafficking paraphernalia and a sum of cash.As a result of continued investigation, 37-year-old Jade Napope from La Ronge is facing 13 charges, ranging from possession for the purpose of trafficking, failing to stop for a peace officer and assaulting a police officer with weapon.Napope has been remanded into custody until he appears in La Ronge Provincial Court on April 8 2024.
