UPDATED
TRURO, N.S.
A 41-year-old New Brunswick man who led police on a high-speed chased was eventually arrested after a spike belt was deployed on Highway 102 near Stewiacke.
Ryan Andrew Clark, of Saint John Avenue, Oromocto, has been remanded into the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for a 30-day mental health assessment to determine if he is criminally responsible. He is to return to court in Truro on Aug. 16 for election and plea.
Clark is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, operation of a motor vehicle while being pursued by police and resisting arrest.
RCMP spokesperson Dal Hutchinson said in a news release the incident began shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday when Colchester District RCMP observed a vehicle driving in a dangerous manner in Millbrook.
Upon approaching the vehicle, the driver sped off on Highway 102 at Exit 13A, travelling northbound in the southbound lane.
Hutchinson said the driver of the Honda Civic turned off the lights while driving towards oncoming traffic, narrowly missing other vehicles before turning off at Exit 13 in Truro Heights. The vehicle turned around and proceeded to drive southbound on Highway 102, while failing to stop for police and at times travelling at speeds greater than 200 kms/hr and, on occasion, continuing to turn his lights off.
“Given the safety risk to other motorists, RCMP deployed a spike belt near Stewiacke which resulted in the suspect vehicle losing one of its tires,” Hutchinson said.
The suspect continued to drive on the vehicle’s rim and turned off at Exit 10 in Shubenacadie where he attempted to turn around. At that point, the driver was approached by members and after attempting to resist arrest was taken in to custody.
The incident involved RCMP members from Colchester, Millbrook, Enfield and the RCMP Police Dog Services.
The investigation is ongoing.
