A 62-year-old Bonnyville man was arrested after a wild rampage involving a trackhoe at the Bonnyville RCMP detachment on May 3.
David Merko faces 13 criminal charges, including dangerous driving, mischief, break and enter, theft, and resisting arrest.
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RCMP took Merko to hospital for minor injuries before returning him to custody.
Police also say Merko faces a charge of uttering threats after allegedly threatened to kill RCMP officers in a phone call to Saskatchewan dispatchers in April.
Merko was remanded in custody after a bail hearing and will appear in Bonnyville Provincial Court on May 6.
At about 6:55 p.m. on May 3, a man drove a stolen trackhoe into the parking lot of the Bonnyville RCMP detachment. Police say the trackhoe was stolen minutes before it entered the lot.
He smashed through a fence and dumped boulders in front of the prisoner bay, which RCMP believe was meant to stop officers from responding to calls.
The suspect then rammed the trackhoe into five unoccupied police vehicles. All the vehicles sustained significant damage, becoming unusable. The suspect then ran away on foot.
Officers called the Edmonton-based Real Time Operations Center to help manage the high-risk call.
More RCMP resources rushed to the scene, including St. Paul Police Dog Services, Cold Lake drone operators, and officers from nearby detachments.
“Their involvement in these types of incidents not only increases our chances of catching a fleeing suspect, but officer safety also increases,” said Bonnyville detachment commander Staff Sgt. Parke.
Police set up containment and started a search before Chase, an RCMP canine, found the suspect hiding in trees northwest of the detachment. RCMP say the suspect fought officers during the arrest. As a result, Merko was bitten during the arrest.
“Incidents like this can be frightening for communities,” said Staff Sgt. Parke. “In this instance, we believe there was no threat to the public and the RCMP was the target.”
Parke also addressed social media backlash.
“This incident garnered a lot of attention on social media … many of the comments are negative, some of which are threatening toward RCMP,” said Parke. “It’s extremely disheartening to see these types of comments made.”
RCMP say violence toward officers is increasing. In 2023 alone, 70 Alberta officers sustained injuries due to use of force incidents. No one sustained injuries during this incident.
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