PARKLAND COUNTY, Alta. — A 34-year-old man described by police as a prolific offender is in custody following a chaotic, two-and-a-half-hour pursuit involving stolen vehicles, near-miss collisions with civilians, and an attempted truck theft that was stopped by an RCMP tactical team.
The incident began on May 12, when Parkland RCMP launched an investigation into a string of vehicle thefts with similar patterns across Parkland County. Among the stolen property were a white Ford F350, a trailer, and multiple all-terrain vehicles.
The Parkland RCMP Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) quickly identified a male suspect tied to the thefts and began searching for him.
The next morning — May 13, at approximately 10:05 a.m. — police received a public tip about a suspicious white Ford F350 in the area of Range Road 25 in Stony Plain. Officers located the vehicle and initiated surveillance, but the suspect immediately fled.
What followed was a dangerous, cross-country chase that spanned roughly two and a half hours, according to RCMP. The suspect drove erratically and with little regard for public safety, regardless of whether police were present.
At various points, the stolen vehicle was seen driving into oncoming lanes — including on the busy Highway 16 — narrowly avoiding multiple collisions with members of the public. The suspect also drove at high speeds through fences, farmers’ fields, and ditches in an attempt to evade capture.
Multiple RCMP units were deployed in a coordinated response, including the Real Time Communications Centre (RTOC), Parkland RCMP plainclothes units, the Alberta RCMP Community Response Team (CRT), and RCMP Police Dog Services.
Police eventually managed to immobilize the vehicle. The suspect then jumped out and ran toward a dark grey Ford F150 in an apparent attempt to steal it. Before he could get away, the RCMP Emergency Response Team and Alberta RCMP CRT intervened, pinning the vehicle and preventing it from moving.
The suspect exited from the passenger side and tried to flee on foot but was quickly arrested without further incident.
Brad Turlock, 34, who police say is a prolific offender with no fixed address, now faces a series of charges, including:
- Flight from police
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Having a face disguised with intent to commit an offence
- Mischief over $5,000 damage to a motor vehicle (two counts)
- Property obtained by crime over $5,000 (six counts)
Turlock has been remanded into custody. He is scheduled to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice in Edmonton on June 3.
“The behaviour we observed that day was an extraordinary risk to public safety,” said Sergeant Collin Kuca of the Parkland RCMP plainclothes unit. “The individual continued driving erratically, regardless of whether police were in view or not,” Our priority is to protect the public, and we took every measure available to bring the situation under control and ensure the individual was safely taken into custody.”
If you have any information about this or another crime, please call the Parkland RCMP non-emergency line at 825-220-7267. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
