RCMP says shots fired in public pursuit of hit-and-run vehicle in Kings County
Police now say shots were reportedly fired by the same person involved in two stolen truck collisions in Kings County over the weekend, injuring two people.
The suspect is now in custody, Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said Thursday morning.
It all started with the theft of a Ford Ranger in the early morning hours of Sunday in Torbrook. Then, around 7 p.m. that night, the police received a call about the truck that burned out on Tremont Mountain Road in Tremont.
The truck was gone when they arrived, but less than half an hour later they received the report of the first collision involving Harmony Road in Nicholsville. Two people in a Jeep Wrangler who knew the owner of the stolen truck were looking for it and were involved in a collision with the Ranger. When the driver of the jeep got out to confront the other driver, the truck drove straight at him and hit him before the suspect drove off.
The driver of the Jeep suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital by paramedics.
Half an hour later, police were called about two people in a station wagon looking for the stolen vehicle and recklessly chasing it down Canaan Road in Morristown – but neither vehicle was found. Not long after, the Ranger was again involved in a collision with a Kia Forte on Aylesford Road in Morristown.
The Forte driver also knew the owner of the stolen truck and was after it, Tremblay said. The Ford rammed into the Kia, after which the driver pulled out a firearm and shot the driver of the Kia before fleeing again.
The Kia driver suffered minor injuries in the collision but was not shot, Tremblay said.
The Ranger was found abandoned about half an hour later on the old railroad track near West Kings District High School in Auburn. The police, including members of the emergency response team and a police dog, followed the suspect to a home on Highway 1 in the neighborhood and obtained information about the identity of the suspect.
He was not home when the police arrived.
Officers eventually tracked down and arrested the suspect at his home on Crocker Road in Harmony on Tuesday.
Sam Maxwell Chute, 33, of Harmony, was taken into custody and appeared in Kentville County Court on Wednesday. He remains in custody pending his next trial on August 1.
Chute is charged with dangerous driving, causing bodily harm and possession of stolen property.
Tremblay said more charges are pending, including some related to the alleged shooting.
Tremblay also said police wanted to reiterate that people should not intervene in stolen vehicle cases. He said vigilance is not only dangerous for people trying to intervene, but members of the public who may be nearby, and that people should report information and locations to police rather than get directly physically involved.
