Charges laid after house fire, police cruiser ramming and pursuit near Prince Albert

Saskatchewan RCMP say three people are facing a minimum of nine charges each after an alleged crime spree involving arson, a high-speed car chase, intentional crashes, weapons and stolen property.

It all happened on Friday, July 18 near Prince Albert, Sask., according to an RCMP news release.

The accused include a 26-year-old woman and 28-year-old man from Sturgeon Lake First Nation, and a 20-year-old woman from Prince Albert.

Prince Albert RCMP received reports of a fire at a home in Little Red River, Sask., on Friday morning.

When officers, firefighters and EMS arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames. Two occupants of the building had escaped and were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the house's occupants, one or more people had gone into the house, discharged a can of bear mace, stole multiple items, set the house on fire and took off in a vehicle.

Just after 8:00 a.m. CST, officers found people matching the descriptions of the suspects outside another home on Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

As police approached and activated their lights, the suspects took off in a car and a truck, RCMP say.

Officers tried to pull them over, but the drivers didn't comply. The truck continued to flee and the car rammed into an occupied RCMP cruiser multiple times before taking off again, police say. 

The pursuit continued until the car came to a stop. Three suspects were arrested and officers searched the vehicle. RCMP say officers found a butane torch lighter, bear mace, an edged weapon, ammunition and stolen property.

Police say officers also saw the suspects in the car throw something out of a window during the pursuit and later recovered a loaded, sawed-off rifle and a magazine.

No officers were injured.

Charges against the three suspects include assault on a police officer with a weapon, mischief over $5,000, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and multiple firearms offences.

On top of that, the 26-year-old woman is charged with arson, administering a noxious thing (bear mace), assault with a weapon and robbery.

The 28-year-old man is also facing charges of robbery and not complying with a probation order.

The three made their first appearance in Prince Albert provincial court on Monday.