Charlottetown man charged after fleeing police in the city

A Charlottetown, P.E.I., man is facing charges after fleeing from police in the city Tuesday.

Charlottetown Police Services responded to a complaint of a man on-foot acting erratically on Buchanan Drive, before crossing the street and entering the mall in Charlottetown.

Police say they also received information the man exited a parked SUV before crossing the street.

Police attended the mall to check on the wellbeing of the man and used video surveillance to locate the parked SUV in a parking lot across the street.

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Shortly after, the man was seen on surveillance video running from the mall towards the parking lot, before entering the vehicle and leaving the area, heading south on University Avenue.

Police say an officer that was in the mall parking lot tried to pull the vehicle over, but it did not stop.

A second police vehicle was waiting for the fleeing vehicle at the intersection of Belvedere and University avenues with emergency lights activated.

Police say the man driving the SUV went around the police vehicle, through a parking lot and continued onto Belvedere Avenue at a high rate of speed.

“For public safety reasons, police did not pursue the vehicle and turned their emergency equipment off,” reads a news release from Charlottetown Police Services.

The release said police were able to identify the driver and went to his residence.

“Officers were able to intercept him as he arrived home and he was arrested without incident,” reads the release.

A 31-year-old man has been charged with:

• flight from police
• dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
• driving while suspended under the Highway Traffic Act

He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.