Four people, including three Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers, were rescued from the waters of the Mille-Îles River on Saturday night, following a police chase that began in St. Eustache.
The driver fled after his vehicle was intercepted around 11 p.m. by local police for a violation of the Highway Safety Code.
The driver, a 27-year-old man, soon found himself with SQ officers on his tail.
“They located the fugitive’s vehicle on Route 335 South towards Highway 19,” said SQ spokesperson Sgt. Marythé Bolduc.
The suspect then changed direction and headed back to St. Eustache, this time taking Highways 440 West and 13 North, where a nail mat was deployed on a bridge between Laval and Boisbriand.
“The vehicle finally stopped on the Vachon Bridge on Highway 13, on the Laval side. Then, the driver, who was alone on board, got out of the vehicle and ran down the bridge into the Mille-Îles River in order to continue his escape,” said the SQ spokesperson.
The three SQ police officers present went to the edge of the river to try to help him, but they too ended up in the water.
“The ice broke under the weight of the officers, which caused the police officers to fall into the water as well,” said Bolduc.
With the help of firefighters from Laval and Thérèse-de-Blainville, the four were able to get back to shore.
“The suspect was transported to hospital with minor injuries, believed to be hypothermia, however his life is not in danger.”
The man was arrested and will appear in court when his condition permits.
The three SQ officers who fell into the water did not suffer from hypothermia and were not brought to hospital.
This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on March 20, 2022.
