Crashes and gunfire in two-hour, 100-kilometre police chase in southern Alberta

RAYMOND, Alta. – A man and a woman are in custody and several firearms have been seized after a wild police chase through southern Alberta that involved gunfire and several crashes.

RCMP in Raymond say they attempted to stop a stolen pickup truck on Wednesday when it backed up into a cruiser and took off out of town.

They tracked the truck to a field where it rammed another cruiser and officers opened fire, but couldn’t bring it to a stop.

Police say the chase continued for almost two hours and covered almost 100 kilometres at a top speed of 170 km/h.

It ended when officers rammed the truck and arrested the suspects.

Police say a rifle, a shotgun, and a loaded sawed-off shotgun inside the vehicle.

They say the driver, 31-year-old Joshua Schmaltz of Medicine Hat, Alta., was wanted on several charges including forcible confinement, assault and escaping lawful custody.

The passenger, 39-year-old Lori Malinsky from Taber, Alta., was also wanted on charges including theft and flight from police.

In a statement, RCMP Supt. Garrett Woolsey praised all the officers involved.

“The RCMP officers involved in the pursuit and subsequent arrest of the suspects put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect the public,” he said.