Charges laid for armed robberies

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Three people from Siksika Nation are facing numerous charges after the Gleichen and Strathmore RCMP caught the culprits following a series of armed robberies and a pursuit.
In the morning on Dec. 9 at 9 a.m., a report of an armed robbery at the Petro-Canada gas station in Strathmore, along Highway 1, reached the local RCMP’s desk. A female and two male suspects entered the establishment, armed with a rifle and bear spray, and demanded cash. Shortly after, one of the male suspects entered the Husky station, grabbed several items and upon leaving, bear sprayed an employee who tried to stop the individual.
“They parked outside the door, one of the guys came in and grabbed some jerky and other things and just walked out,” said Wasiq Iqbal, store manager at the Husky station. “She tried to stop him and he didn’t listen. I was just concerned about her. We had shoplifting twice before but they weren’t that big or cause problems for us. This was more like a shoplifting compared to some of the other stores I heard which were robbed at gunpoint.”
The Strathmore RCMP received a description of the suspects’ vehicle and launched a search. The description raised red flags at the Gleichen RCMP where people matching the description had been involved in stealing liquor in Cluny, fleeing in a grey GMC Acadia.
With the additional information, Strathmore RCMP were able to locate the vehicle leaving the scene of the last robbery heading eastbound on Highway 1. Police attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver refused to stop which initiated a pursuit.
After the deployment of a tire deflation device, the suspect drove the vehicle into a field where the individuals continued to flee. All three suspects were later located and taken into custody with the help of an RCMP police dog and Calgary Police Service HAWCS helicopter.
“These situations are always difficult because in Alberta we have a lot of rural areas, there’s a lot of roadways to cover, so it’s always difficult to catch somebody who’s actively trying to evade the police,” said Sgt. Tyler Codling with the Gleichen RCMP.
“The spike valve is in those circumstances a common tool and it was effectively used in this case to end a police chase before anybody got hurt. In this case, there was a lot of evidence to identify who it was, and that makes things a lot easier to catch someone than when you have a mystery suspect or just a vague description. So that definitely sped things up significantly.”
While being apprehended, one of the suspects sprayed the arresting officer with bear spray. The officer was treated for exposure but wasn’t seriously injured. RCMP also recovered a firearm that was located near the vehicle in the field.
Bradley Josh Blackhorse, 27, and Justin Lee Nathan Cutter, 24, both from Siksika Nation, are facing numerous criminal charges, including robbery with a firearm, robbery with an offensive weapon, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police in a motor vehicle, disguise with intent, possession of stolen property, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm and assaulting a peace officer with a weapon.
A 15-year-old girl from Siksika Nation, whose name cannot be revealed, has been charged with similar offenses, and the additional charge of spitting on an RCMP member during the arrest.
A court date is set for Dec. 15 for Blackhorse in Drumheller Provincial Court. Cutter is scheduled to appear in Siksika Provincial Court on Dec. 14, and Strathmore Court on Dec. 19.