2 minors, 2 adults critically injured in south Calgary crash; incident was preceded by a robbery

Multiple people were rushed to hospital, including two minors, in the aftermath of a serious vehicle collision on Thursday morning.

Police said some people involved suffered significant injuries, and remain in critical, life-threatening condition.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. at Southland Drive and Macleod Trail S., and was preceded by a pharmacy robbery in the city's southwest.

According to the Calgary Fire Department (CFD), five vehicles were involved in the crash, all of which were heavily damaged.

CFD said they found one person on the ground outside one of the vehicles, and two more trapped inside who required the jaws of life to get out.

Battalion chief Scott Cowan said he knows of two people under 18 and two adults taken to hospital.

These were the worst injuries at the scene, CFD said, though there were others.

Paul Donaldson, who was in one of the other vehicles struck in a chain reaction, said, "Unfortunately, when I got out of the car, I saw the little girl lying on the ground and they (emergency personnel) were working on her."

Donaldson had to crawl out of his own vehicle, pulling his partner with him.

He said his partner received cuts to her face.

"We ended up having to crawl over the backseat into the back, jumping out the back. I had to pull (my partner) out of the car," he said.

"Everything came out. All the air bags."

Donaldson said the incident felt "surreal," and left him "in shock."

"We were sitting at the light getting ready to head east on Southland," he said.

"The minivan there came flying through the red light while that little grey car was trying to turn. ... Smoked her and she came flying into us."

Donaldson said someone was arrested by police at the scene.

"They pulled him out of the van. There was about five or six cops all over the guy," he said.

Police said later on Thursday that they had been following the vehicle prior to the collision.

The Pharmasave at 15 Millrise Blvd. S.W. was robbed, its pharmacist was assaulted and a vehicle was stolen around 9:30 a.m.

Rabina Rabina was working at the Shell station near the Pharmasave at the time of the robbery.

"I was just sitting around here. I was doing my stuff, and I saw somebody was coming across the street, and then I felt something was wrong, and then I just locked the door, and he tried to come in. Then I told him to come to the side window so I could attend to him, but he ignored me," she said.

"Then he went to the Pharmasave, and after about two minutes, I saw he was in a hurry, and he just started the car of the pharmacy person, and then he just left."

The ordeal left her shaken.

"I was thinking about my safety. Like, I was totally alone, and I was thinking, 'What if he came inside and he could hurt me as well?'" she said.

According to police, after the robbery, the suspect refused to stop for officers on the ground and was driving dangerously.

A police helicopter continued to monitor the vehicle from above.

Police said the suspect ran the red light at Southland Drive and Macleod Trail, which resulted in the collision.

The suspect remains in custody and charges are pending.

YYC Transportation advised the roads were closed in all directions and motorists should avoid the area.

Police said they closed north and southbound Macleod Trail from 94 Avenue to 99 Avenue S.E., and west and eastbound Southland Drive from Horton Road S.W. to Bonaventure Drive S.E.

Police also advised motorists to seek out alternate routes in the area.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been notified of the incident.

ASIRT is the province's police watchdog.

With files from CTV News Calgary's Tyler Barrow