Missing woman found after police chase sends vehicle into river

(Photo: Prince Albert Police Service)

A 22-year-old woman has been arrested and another woman is missing after police say an alleged armed robbery ended with a vehicle entering the river in Prince Albert.

Police say they began an investigation at around 2:15 a.m. Thursday after a woman was robbed of her vehicle at gunpoint in the 2700 block of Second Avenue East.

Arriving officers found two women at the scene, with neither appearing to be injured.

Minutes later police located the vehicle near Marquis Road East and Fourth Avenue East and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop.

“Police observed what appeared to be a female driver. A pursuit was authorized due to the violent nature of the initial call for service,” Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) said in a news release.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

The vehicle continued east and then north before entering the river near River Street East at about 2:20 a.m. Police say two occupants were seen in the water.

With help from the Prince Albert Fire Department and an RCMP drone, officers located the driver, a 22-year-old woman, on the riverbank a short distance away. She was taken to hospital with minor injuries and later arrested.

In an update sent shortly after 4 p.m., Prince Albert police said the second occupant, a 27-year-old woman, has since been located away from the river and was not injured.

Earlier Thursday, police said the second occupant was missing and that, with assistance from multiple agencies, they were searching for her. The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) was also called.

Police now say that, following a review of the incident, SIRT will no longer be involved, as the threshold for an investigation was not met.

The Prince Albert Police Service major crimes unit continues to investigate the robbery, theft of a vehicle, evading police and the collision.