OPP in Marathon were forced to use a spike belt Wednesday to halt a fleeing vehicle.
The incident occurred after police received reports of a pickup truck leaving a Marathon gas station without paying for fuel. Officers eventually spotted the truck eastbound on Highway 17. The driver refused to pull over. A short pursuit was broken off when the situation became dangerous.
Instead, other officers deployed a spike belt further down the road, successfully deflating two tires on the fleeing truck. Despite this the driver kept going for another five kilometres on the flattened tires before finally coming to a halt. Two occupants were taken into custody and it was determined the truck had been stolen in Alberta. Officers also seized a loaded firearm and a knife.
