Greater Moncton is in shock after police were hunting for armed and dangerous fugitives in their own backyard.
RCMP confirm Brandon Joseph Mombourquette and Andrew Jason Hudder were the subjects of a dramatic police chase through residential streets in Dieppe Wednesday evening.
“Approximately 9 or 10 o’clock last night…I heard a lot of sirens up and down the road here, Chartersville Road,” says witness John Ouellette.
The two Halifax men are facing several charges, and while police failed to catch the pair, they are still believed to be in the area.
“If anyone sees those individuals, we would request them not to take action but to call 911 immediately,” says Codiac RCMP Const. Damien Theriault.
Witnesses say the intersection of Pascal Avenue and Gauvin Road was one of the many areas in Dieppe where there was a large police presence Wednesday evening.
Officers were stopping vehicles and checking IDs and registrations.
Christopher Kierbin says he may have spotted the suspects around 12:30 a.m., a few blocks down from Pascal Avenue.
“A guy in grey sweat shorts, kind of hanging down below, just running down from Chartersville, and two minutes later cops came storming down,” says Kierbin.
Police say Mombourquette, 28, was arrested during a traffic stop in Halifax on May 26, 2009. They say a loaded handgun was found in his vehicle. Mombourquette was charged with seven weapon-related offences in connection with the case.
Mombourquette was due to appear in court on March 1 but police say he failed to show and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police are also looking for Hudder, 26, who is facing several charges in connection with a shooting in Halifax’s north end.
Police say several shots were fired from a vehicle at a taxi as it travelled north along Robie Street, near McCully Street, on Nov. 3, 2012.
The 48-year-old taxi driver had a male passenger in his vehicle at the time.
Hudder is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon and nine weapons-related offences. A nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest on Nov. 15, 2012.
Police issued a release Wednesday, stating that Mombourquette and Hudder are believed to be travelling together throughout Atlantic Canada and asking for the public’s help in locating them.
Some Dieppe residents were shocked to learn who the police were searching for.
“Very uncomfortable. It is kind of creepy we have two people running loose,” says Tia Leavitt.
Police say they are also investigating a string of ATM thefts in the area to see if there is a connection.
“We have no concrete evidence to link them to the ATM thefts, however, we have not ruled that possibility out,” says Theriault.
Police believe the men are still in southeastern New Brunswick. They say the men should not be approached if spotted.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact police.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
