MOOSE JAW — A man who fired a handgun at members of the Moose Jaw Police Service and triggered an emergency alert was successfully apprehended on Friday night.
The incident occurred at around 9:50 p.m.when MJPS served a search warrant after learning of firearms located in a home on the 800 block of 4th Avenue NW. Upon arrival, an individual fired several shots from a handgun at officers and fled the scene.
That prompted the MJPS and members of the Tactical and Canine units to form a multi-block perimeter and begin a search of the area.
On-scene reporting by Robert Thomas of the Moose Jaw Independent indicates officers in the immediate area were exceptionally cautious in their search, having members of the public identify themselves and asking if the shooter had been seen before ordering residents back inside their homes.
Gunshots were reported at around 9:50 p.m. on the 300 block of Ross Street and at 10:24 p.m. an emergency alert was sent to smart devices in the city, describing a dangerous person on the loose, offering a description and telling the community not to approach the individual and to call 911 if spotted.
Police located an individual in the backyard of a Ross Street residence during their search and with the help of crisis negotiators, the suspect surrendered and was arrested at 10:36 p.m.
The emergency alert was then cancelled at 11:36 p.m. with notification the suspect had been apprehended.
Jirard Saddleback, 32, of Calgary, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of proceeds from a crime and other firearms and weapon-related offences.
Saddleback was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant out of Calgary for being unlawfully at large. He will appear in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Monday, Oct. 24.
Three additional males and one female were also arrested, with charges pending as the investigation continues.
