The city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was a Grand Theft Auto map this week, much to the terror of several citizens. A single person was allegedly behind several separate carjacking incidents, a police stand-off, and a road rage-like incident in which he targeted another car, chasing it down the highway, and ramming it as many as 20 times.
The perpetrator’s name has not been released, but Edmonton Police say that he was involved in two violent carjackings on the evening of May 16, 2023. When police got to him, he was in a white Ram pickup.
Police responded to the incident following reports that he was “actively smashing into other vehicles.” When they arrived, they said the man in the truck got out of the vehicle and a “confrontation between him and the officers occurred.”
The encounter culminated in an officer discharging their firearm, and the man racing back into his truck to flee once again. No officers were injured in the incident. Police said that after the suspect fled, he was involved in another carjacking a short distance away.
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By the morning of May 17, the suspect was still at large, and became involved in another ramming incident. This time, he targeted Naeem Issa and his nephew, who managed to capture video footage of a red Dodge Ram chasing their Mercedes along Anthony Henday Drive.
Issa told Global News that the truck drove up behind them, started hitting his bumper, and eventually pulled a gun on them. He said he then started speeding up to get away from the truck, but it kept following him.
Issa sped up and eventually drove past a patrol officer, who clocked him driving at 170 km/h (106 mph). He said he thought he had gotten away, but the truck came back.
“I pass by the highway patrol sheriff, honk my horn at him… The truck came like a barrel out of nowhere and just smashed me. If I was doing, like, 170, he was probably doing 220 (137 mph) or more,” Issa said. “He hit me so hard the car went into emergency mode, and it wouldn’t go anymore. It wouldn’t drive anymore.”
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He said he was still able to pull off the highway, but the truck then pulled up alongside, and eventually in front of him, and then slammed on the brakes. Fortunately, it was at this point that the patrol car showed up, and the truck took off.
Issa said the ordeal was terrifying, but that he was happy he and his nephew got away from the incident, which they believe was random, relatively unscathed. They both report experiencing muscle pain from the incident, and his car is totaled, though.
After chasing down Issa and his nephew, the truck eventually crashed into the yard of a condo building. People on the scene said that it appeared as though it had crashed through a chain link fence and into trees.
Police confirmed that a man matching the description of the one involved in the road rage and carjacking incidents was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, May 17. He was taken to hospital for precautionary checks. Police say he had 17 outstanding warrants.
