Man charged with attempted murder of police officer near Meadow Lake

MEADOW LAKE — Meadow Lake RCMP CRT have charge a man with attempted murder of a police officer.

Meadow Lake RCMP CRT have charged a man with attempted murder after an officer was hit by an SUV near Meadow Lake.

On March 23 at approximately 12:15 p.m., a Meadow Lake RCMP Crime Reduction Team (CRT) officer observed a white SUV driving through a stop sign on First Avenue at the corner of Centre Street in Meadow Lake.

Before the officer could initiate a traffic stop, the white SUV fled at a high rate of speed towards Highway 55.

The Meadow Lake RCMP CRT officer attempted to pull the white SUV over multiple times. The white SUV did not stop and continued to flee at a high rate of speed.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., a Meadow Lake RCMP officer deployed a tire deflation device on Highway 4, north of the junction with Highway 55. As the police officer deployed the spike belt, the white SUV struck the police officer. The officer was treated at a hospital for injuries described as non-life-threatening.

The white SUV drove over the tire deflation device and police officers located the white SUV abandoned approximately four kilometres away.

Meadow Lake RCMP CRT and Police Dog Services officers tracked the occupants of the vehicles who had fled on foot. The officers located a male and female and arrested them on scene.

The two suspects did not report injuries to police.

As a result of continued investigation by Meadow Lake RCMP CRT, 26-year-old Keistein Michell, from Prince Albert, is charged with:

• one count, attempted murder;
• one count, aggravated assault of a police officer;
• one count, assault of a police officer with a weapon;
• one count, failure to stop after an accident resulting in bodily harm;
• one count, flight from a police officer;
• one count, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle;
• one count, operation of a motor vehicle while impaired;
• one count operation of a motor vehicle while impaired over 80mg%;
• one count, failure to comply with an undertaking; and
• one count, resisting/obstructing a police officer.

A 26-year-old suspect, from Deschambeault Lake, is charged with:

• one count, flight from a police officer; and
• one count, resisting/obstructing a police officer.

The two accused appeared in court in Meadow Lake on March 26.

Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crime Branch’s Battlefords Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) will continue to investigate with the assistance of Meadow Lake RCMP Crime Reduction Team (CRT), part of the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT), and Battlefords RCMP Forensic Identification Services (FIS).