An adult male is facing a number of charges as a result of a police investigation in North Regina this morning.
On Monday, April 3, 2023, members of the Online Stolen Property Unit, the Canine Unit and Patrol were conducting an investigation into a stolen vehicle. At around 11:10 a.m., during the course of the investigation, police successfully deployed a tire deflation device (spike belt) and the vehicle came to a stop in the 400 block of Rink Avenue. The driver was not compliant with repeated police commands to exit the vehicle. Additional Patrol units and School Resource Officers set up a perimeter in the area, traffic was blocked off, and nearby elementary schools were put into secure-the-building mode.
Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were called to the scene. As SWAT arrived, the suspect vehicle began driving again, travelling eastbound on Rink Avenue. A police vehicle made contact with the suspect vehicle and the driver of the suspect vehicle continued to travel towards the police perimeter. The suspect vehicle struck a police vehicle that was holding the perimeter. The vehicle then continued driving down Rink Avenue and across McCarthy Boulevard. The vehicle lost control and came to a stop in the 200 block of Rink Avenue. The male driver fled from the vehicle on foot. Due to the close proximity to schools in the area, and potential threat to the public, SWAT officers deployed a less-lethal impact munition. At 11:50 a.m., the male was taken into police custody by officers. As a result:
Thirty-two year-old Julius Jack LERAT, of Regina, has been charged with:
- Operate Conveyance Dangerous To Public [CC 320.13 (1)];
- Failure to Stop After Accident [CC 320.16 (1)];
- Flight From Peace Officer [CC 320.17];
- Assault Peace Officer [CC 270.01 (1)(A)];
- Resist Arrest [CC 129 (A)];
- Impaired Operation Of a Conveyance By Alcohol/Drug Or Combination [CC 270.01 (1)(A)];
- Theft of a Motor Vehicle [CC 333.1 (1)];
- Theft Under $5000 [CC 334 (B)];
- 2 X Possession of Property Obtained By Crime Under $5000 [CC 355 (B)];
- 4 X Fail To Comply With Conditions of a Release Order [CC 145 (5)(A)].
LERAT will make his first appearance on these charges in Provincial Court on April 4, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
