'Like something you see out of the movies': Police arrest 1 after shooting, carjackings in Edmonton area

RCMP are searching farm yards and acreages in west Saskatchewan after a shooting and a pair of armed carjackings in the Edmonton area early Thursday landed one person in hospital.

A suspectwas arrested Thursday morning nearMaidstone, Sask., east of Lloydminster, in relation to thecrimes which spanned from Edmonton to Sherwood Park, but no charges have yetbeen laid.

Officers continue to search rural areasfor a second suspect, a man believed to be travelling on foot, saidRCMPin a news releaseThursday afternoon.

The suspect isconsideredarmed and dangerous and police are asking the public and news agencies to stay away fromareas with police presence.

"To ensure the safety of the public, we are asking people to report and not approach any suspicious activity, vehiclesor persons in the Maidstone area to police immediately,"the news release said.

The series of eventsbegan late Wednesday, hundreds of kilometres from Maidstonein Edmonton whenpolice were called to the scene of a carjacking.

A woman's black Ford Fusion was stolen just before midnightnear118th Avenue and 104th Street, police said.

Ten minutes later, another woman was robbed a few blocksaway at 106th Avenue and 92nd Street, by a suspect matchingthe description ofthecarjacker.

The Fusionthen fled to Sherwood Parkand at about 12:35 a.m,Strathcona RCMP were called to assist Edmonton police in the pursuit.

At the same time, RCMPwere called to reports of shots fired atthe Holiday Inn Express on Broadmoor Boulevard in Sherwood Park.

Police found amanwithwounds tohisshoulder and neck.

The manwas conscious and "appeared to havenon-life threatening injuries," RCMP said.

'A shotgun in my face'

A few minutes later, at about 12:35 a.m., Vern Goulethad just got into his car to leave theFlying Jgas station in Sherwood Park when someone opened his car door.

"I thought it was just some guy going to ask me for a smoke or something," Goulettold CBC News on Thursday. "But the next thing I know there's a shotgun in my face and he told me to get down out of the car."

Goulet, a 38-year-old father of two who was on his way from Regina to Fort McMurray for work, did what he was told.

"I said, 'Take the car.' It's just a car, right?"

The man got into Goulet's car and sped away.Gouletsaida Ford Fusion was following close behind.

"It was just like something you see out of the moviesit was crazy," he said. "The more I thought about it, toois, what if I had my kids in the back?"

Gouletsaid he ran into the service station and told the attendantto call the police. Within moments, however, the police were already on scene, he said.

"I gave the [officer]a statement and whatever and then afterward, I heard him on the radio say, 'Yeah, he gave the same description as the last victims.' " Gouletsaid.

"And then I approached him and said, 'You mean it's more than just me?' And he said, 'Yeah we've been chasing these guys all night."

A black Ford Fusion was later found engulfed in flames on Highway 16 at Range Road 195. Investigators have yet to confirm thatthe burned vehicle is the same one used in the carjacking.

The Chrysler 300, believed to belong to Goulet, was later seen speeding through the Vegreville area, before it wasrecovered inSaskatchewan.

"After hearing about what the previous victims had happento them," Goulet said,"I'm just very fortunate I didn't got shot or nothing like that."