Charges laid against man arrested after Edmonton carjacking prompts search in Sask.

RCMP patrol continues near Maidstone; one charged One man has been arrested, but RCMP are still on scene in the Maidstone area after an incident in Edmonton moved east.

A 29-year-old man arrested after an incident in Edmonton sparked a manhunt in Saskatchewan is facing seven charges, RCMP say.

The man was arrested Thursday morning near Maidstone after police say he exited a stolen car stuck in a slough. The car had been reported stolen from a home between the Saskatchewan community and nearby Lloydminster.

He is now charged with two counts of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and one count each of robbery with a weapon, pointing a firearm, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, possessing property obtained by crime and fleeing police, according to RCMP. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday in North Battleford.

Police said after his arrest officers were still searching for a second man. The second man has not been found as of late Friday morning.

The investigation is connected to two carjacking cases in the Edmonton area early Thursday morning, but Saskatchewan RCMP are not yet confirming the nature of the Edmonton incident.

Alberta RCMP officers in Strathcona County were notified by police in Edmonton around 12:30 a.m. to watch out for a black Ford Fusion that was involved in an armed carjacking in the city.

Around the same time, RCMP officers were responding to a report of shots fired in Alberta’s Sherwood Park, at the Holiday Inn Express on Broadmoor Boulevard. A man was found at that scene suffering from gunshot wounds to his shoulder and neck. He was sent to the Royal Alexandra Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

About five minutes later, another armed carjacking occurred at the Flying J gas station. Police in Alberta confirm the black Ford Fusion was involved, a shotgun was produced and a black Chrysler 300 was stolen. Both vehicles then left the scene.

Shortly after, a black Ford Fusion was discovered on fire near Highway 16 and Range Road 195, east of Edmonton. The Chrysler 300 was spotted heading east through the Vegreville area and later found by police in Saskatchewan.

Leslie Checkosis, from the Little Pine First Nation in Saskatchewan, told CTV he was driving on Highway 16 to Saskatoon around 8 a.m. Thursday when an RCMP officer stopped him and told him to take a different route.

“A truck with one officer in it and it was parked right at the cross road,” Checkosis said. “We had to stop and when he came out to talk with us, he had an assault rifle with him.”

At least two schools in the area — Chief Little Pine School and Chief Poundmaker School — were locked down, and the lobby of the Paynton post office was locked because of the incident.

RCMP were searching farm yards and acreages Thursday near the communities of Paynton and Maidstone — both located on Highway 16, northwest of North Battleford.

The police presence in the area has decreased, but the search is ongoing.

The public is asked to report suspicious activity but not to approach any suspicious vehicles or people. Saskatchewan RCMP said individuals involved in the incident may be armed and are considered dangerous, according to a Thursday morning news release.

--- with files from CTV Edmonton’s Julia Parrish