WASECA – A man who was wanted by police was arrested without injuries to anyone following a police pursuit and standoff with RCMP on Highway 16 Tuesday night just outside of Waseca.
Nakota Pooyak, 29, from Sweetgrass First Nation, was wanted at the time for being unlawfully at large. He was arrested and charged with flight from police, possession of stolen property, and resisting arrest. Warren Littlewofe, 32, from Edmonton, Alta., was also arrested and faces the same charges.
Police say that on Feb. 7 at about 6:45 p.m., Cut Knife RCMP got a call that a man who was wanted for being unlawfully at large was driving in their detachment area. Police found and tried to stop the vehicle. The driver refused to stop and police pursued the vehicle onto Highway 16 towards Lloydminster.
Police set up a tire deflation device and the tires of the vehicle were deflated after driving over the device. But the vehicle continued to drive on Highway 16 at a high rate of speed before it came to a stop outside of Waseca. The two people inside the vehicle refused to get out of the vehicle.
Saskatchewan RCMP’s Critical Incident Response Team was called in and officers tried negotiation with the two men in the vehicle. They ended up using non-lethal intervention techniques to safely arrest them without injury.
Police say the vehicle was reported stolen out of Edmonton.
Highway 16 was closed for approximately six hours during this incident, but has now re-opened.
Cut Knife RCMP, Battlefords RCMP, Maidstone RCMP, Lloydminster RCMP, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Warrant Enforcement Response Team and Roving Traffic Unit, Lloydminster Rescue Squad, Wilton Police Service and the Province of Saskatchewan’s Protection and Response Team and Ministry of Highways assisted with this investigation.
Both are scheduled to appear in Lloydminster Provincial Court on Feb. 9.
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