Tara Kaminski faces multiple charges
A 42-year-old Winnipeg woman is facing multiple charges after a stolen 5-ton truck struck an RCMP officer, sideswiped a police car, and collided with a short bus during a dramatic pursuit that stretched from Winnipeg to the RM of Macdonald, police say.
The incident began just after 9:35 a.m. on May 7, when Stonewall RCMP were notified that a 5-ton truck had been stolen from a business on Paramount Road in Winnipeg. The truck was spotted travelling southbound on the West Perimeter Highway.
Officers responded immediately and attempted a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle. The truck eventually pulled over near the intersection with Roblin Boulevard, where officers engaged with the driver.
That’s when the situation turned violent.
Suddenly, the truck began moving again and struck an officer while causing damage to a parked police car. Other officers on scene rushed to provide first aid to their injured colleague while waiting for Emergency Medical Services.
The truck fled the scene, but officers were able to follow it as it approached the community of Oak Bluff.
Police attempted to use a spike belt to stop the vehicle, but the driver abruptly swerved to avoid it, drove through a ditch, and continued onto the service road.
At the intersection of Highway 2 and Macdonald Road, the stolen truck collided with a short bus. Fortunately, there were no students inside the bus at the time, and no injuries were reported.
The driver once again fled in the 5-ton truck, and police lost sight of the vehicle.
However, shortly afterward, RCMP received a report of a suspicious person walking in a field at the intersection of Road 50 North-East and Macdonald Road, just southwest of Oak Bluff in the Rural Municipality of Macdonald.
At approximately 11:15 a.m., officers located the individual, who was identified as the driver of the stolen truck, and she was arrested without incident. The stolen vehicle was later recovered behind a shop on a nearby property off Macdonald Road.
Tara Kaminski, 42, of Winnipeg, has been charged with assault on a police officer with a weapon causing bodily harm, operation while impaired by drugs causing bodily harm, refusal to comply with a demand, theft of motor vehicle over $5,000, mischief, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, resist peace officer, and operation of a motor vehicle while prohibited.
Kaminski has been remanded into custody.
The injured officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is recovering at home, RCMP confirmed.
Stonewall RCMP, along with Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services, continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers.
