RCMP rammed in arrest drama

Police in central Alberta were fired at and had their vehicles rammed when they responded to a call about a distraught man threatening someone with a rifle.

RCMP in Didsbury were called to Elkton Valley, about 35 kilometres west of the central Alberta town, at about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, police said.

When the officers arrived backed up by Mounties from the Sundre and Olds detachments the suspect fled in a pickup truck. He rammed two police vehicles before getting stuck in a creek bed a short distance away, police said.

Shots were fired at the officers from the vicinity of the suspect's truck, but they did not return fire.

Police set up a perimeter to prevent the suspect from escaping, and emergency response teams from Red Deer and Edmonton were called to the scene.

Six hours after the incident began,officers located the suspect still possessing a rifle and arrested him without incident.

The 31-year-old man from the Elkton Valley area was taken to hospital for a medical assessment. Charges have not been laid yet and the suspect's name was not released.

No one was seriously hurt, but an RCMP officer suffered minor injuries when his vehicle was rammed.