Fiery crash after vehicle flees, rams RCMP cruiser

A RCMP cruiser and a fleeing vehicle catch fire on Dec. 24, 2024. (Manitoba RCMP)

An RCMP officer and two women were sent to hospital after an attempted traffic stop ended in a fiery crash near Portage la Prairie on Christmas Eve.

According to RCMP, officers attempted to make a traffic stop at 2:15 p.m. on 8th Street NW and 6th Avenue NW. The vehicle did not stop when the RCMP officer activated their lights, but a pursuit did not happen due to safety concerns.

The vehicle was later found on Road 70 North heading to Provincial Road 240. An RCMP vehicle was positioned on the road to deploy a spike belt, while a second RCMP vehicle followed.

Before hitting the spike belt, the driver of the vehicle being pursued allegedly stopped and reversed into the RCMP vehicle and then hit the spike belt and turned south on Provincial Road 240, where it drove head-on into another RCMP vehicle, catching fire.

Officers were able to remove two women from the vehicle and they were placed under arrest.

The two women and an RCMP officer were taken to hospital for treatment, but later released.

A 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman, both from Portage la Prairie, are facing multiple charges, including flight from police, and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.