North Dakota man charged for fleeing CBSA at Canada-U.S. border in Manitoba

A North Dakota man has been charged after fleeing from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at the Canada-U.S. border in Manitoba, the RCMP said.

The 44-year-old man was trying to enter Canada from North Dakota at the Emerson, Man., port of entry, more than 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg, when he was directed to secondary screening. Police said instead of following the border agent’s directions, he sped away – prompting the CBSA to contact police around 6:23 p.m. Saturday.

Detachment officers from the Emerson, Morris and St-Pierre-Jolys responded, driving along Highway 75 to stop the suspect, police said. An attempt south of Morris failed.

The RCMP then blocked the man’s path at Highway 75 and PR 210, but police said he “maneuvered around the police cars, drove through the ditch, narrowly missed an officer and continued north on Highway 75.”

Further down the highway, police were able to stop the 44-year-old. He was removed from the truck and arrested at 7:05 p.m. A loaded handgun and ammunition were found inside his vehicle.

The man from North Dakota is facing 10 charges, including flight from peace officer, assault peace officer with a weapon, export firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition. He was remanded into custody.

No officers were injured in the pursuit, but police said a cruiser was damaged.

Supt. Chris Hastie, district commander of the Manitoba east district, said the RCMP is working closely with the CBSA, the federal RCMP and U.S. law enforcement to determine why the man fled.

“This was a dangerous situation involving an armed male fleeing the port of entry and travelling at high speeds toward Winnipeg,” he said in the news release. “The work of everyone involved was remarkable.”