Alberta RCMP uniform, weapon stolen after man drives off in cruiser

RCMP in a northwestern Alberta city are on the hunt for a man they say has a stolen police weapon and key parts of an RCMP uniform.

A statement from the RCMP detachment in Grand Prairie says officers spotted a man and woman in a stolen car just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

They say the vehicle veered off the road while trying to flee and officers were able to arrest the woman but the man ran to an unlocked police cruiser and drove off.

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The cruiser has since been recovered by police, but significant parts of a uniform and weapons were stolen. Some of the stolen items include an officer’s patrol jacket, toque, handcuffs and body armour.

Along with the missing uniform items, a 40mm Extended Range Impact Weapon, which looks like an assault rifle but shoots low-velocity sponge rounds, is also missing.

RCMP believe the suspect has stolen a second vehicle in the Spirit River area, north of Grande Prairie. Officers are now looking for the man or a brown Jeep Grand Cherokee with Alberta licence plate CCB-0087.

They say anyone spotting either the suspect or the Jeep should not approach and should immediately call Grande Prairie RCMP at (780) 830-5701 or call their local detachment.