(Gatineau) A police officer was injured Thursday night in Gatineau after being hit by a vehicle while arresting a teenager following a short chase.
The incident was followed by a second police chase. He started in a residential area of Gatineau.
The Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) says the officer was taken to hospital and released a little later.
The SPVG reports that around 12:15 a.m., a citizen reported the presence of suspicious individuals in a vehicle near rue des Fleurs. He said that these people appeared to be prowling around parked vehicles and he then saw the suspect vehicle leave the scene, followed by another vehicle.
Nearby patrol officers located the suspect vehicle, which was followed by a Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle (SUV), a model often targeted by organized vehicle theft rings.
A police chase followed. The RAV4 vehicle, which had indeed been stolen, was involved in two collisions and the police were able to arrest the 15-year-old driver.
Meanwhile, the other suspect vehicle returned to the scene and rammed a police officer before fleeing. He was later located on Highway 50, resulting in a second pursuit that ended in Plaisance, east of Thurso, where SPVG officers received assistance from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
The two occupants of this vehicle, a man and a woman aged 18, were arrested and were to be met by the investigators.
The nature of the charges to be brought had not yet been specified by mid-morning Thursday.