Eight people including a woman from Lloydminster have been arrested after police stopped a stolen vehicle in central Alberta.
At around 11 a.m., RCMP officers attempted to stop a van speeding on Highway 620 near Drayton Valley on March 10. The vehicle did not stop but Mounties were able to get a licence plate number.
A 911 caller spotted the same van speeding through a construction zone. Evansburg RCMP found the van going eastbound on Highway 16 and followed it until it ran out of gas.
The eight people inside the van were arrested and a search resulted in the seizure of a loaded sawed-off shotgun, machete, knife and several face masks.
The following people are being charged with possessing stolen property, possess a firearm in a vehicle and possessing a firearm without a license:
- Mariah Stanley, 20, of Lloydminster
- Lorrie Flora O’Chiese, 19, of Edmonton
- Elijah Traves Strawberry, 18, of O’Chiese First Nation
- Gavin Mitchell-Yellowknee, 23, of Atikameg
- Darius Sage Strawberry, 22, of O’Chiese First Nation
- Blair Saulteaux, 36, of Red Deer
- Donnelly Strawberry, 26, of Edmonton
- Joshua Elliot Sharphead, 28, of Enoch
Four of them are facing additional charges and all eight will be in court on April 27.