**** RCMP Media Release
Halifax District RCMP charge a man following flight from police
Halifax District RCMP has charged a man following flight from police in Lake Echo.
On October 7, at approximately 3:10 p.m., Halifax District RCMP was conducting traffic enforcement at a checkpoint on Hwy. 7, when a GMC Terrain briefly stopped and then fled. RCMP officers attempted to close the distance with the vehicle and quickly located it on Linda Ln.
RCMP officers attempted to complete a traffic stop but the driver of the vehicle, now travelling on the dead-end street, refused to comply. A passenger then exited the vehicle and fled on foot while the driver turned the GMC around one police vehicle and collided head on with another.
The front passenger of the GMC, a 33-year-old Cole Harbour woman, suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital by EHS.
The passenger who fled on foot, a 34-year-old Lake Echo man, returned to the scene of the collision and spoke with an RCMP officer. He was uninjured.
The RCMP officer, driving the police vehicle, suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the GMC, a 39-year-old Dartmouth man, was safely arrested and transported to hospital by EHS for minor injuries suffered during the collision. RCMP officers observed that the driver was displaying signs of impairment, however the driver refused to provide a sample of blood after being given the Blood Demand. The driver also initially falsely identified himself to RCMP officers.
John William MacDonell, 39, has been charged with:
- Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm;
- Flight from Police;
- Failure to Stop at the Scene of an Accident Involving Bodily Harm;
- Impaired Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm;
- Refusal of a Demand;
- Assault with a Weapon;
- Assaulting a Peace Officer;
- Obstructing a Peace Officer (2 counts);
MacDonell was held in custody and will appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court later today.
