wild time in Westwood › other police matters › june › deadmonton 2007 › deadmonton › edmonton

Just before 5:30 p.m. on June 5th, 2007 police received several calls reporting gunfire ... and two cars smashing into each other.

The incident began when a verbal altercation took place between three males behind an apartment building on 105th Street and 119th Avenue in the Westwood neighbourhood near the main NAIT campus.

One of the men went to a maroon Pontiac Grand Am where retrieved a weapon. The gun was then fired at a red Pontiac Grand Am that now carried the two other males.

The man in the maroon car, along with a woman according to an eyewitness, drove away with the other vehicle following it eastbound on 119th Avenue. Return shots were then fired from the red Grand Am before it rear-ended the maroon car near 105 Street.

Both vehicles left the scene in different directions. The red car was found near 102nd Street and 119th Avenue, while the maroon car was located at 123rd Avenue and 106th Street.

The rear bumper of the maroon car was seen laying on the ground.

A bullet hole was visible in the rear of the red car which also sustained front end damage.

Kevin Rubuliak witnessed part of what occured.

"Yea well, I seen them over there at the alley and I came running back over here to call the police because I didn't want them to see me or shoot in this direction and possibly get hit by one."

"So, that was kind of freaky."

Acting Insp. Terry Rocchio brought the media up to speed.

The officer said the two Pontiacs "were reported banging into each other a couple of times before there was an exchange of gunfire."

"When we got there the scene was empty. Both parties had fled and all that was left was car parts. It appears the people involved ditched the cars and ran. It was pretty chaotic at first with no one at the scene and having to track down these two cars."

"We have the vehicles so obviously that's going to lead us to the registered owners of the vehicles and from there hopefully we can find out who the people in the vehicles are."

"We've checked with the hospitals and medical centres just to ensure that nobody's hurt and we've heard nothing back yet."

As police were seizing the vehicles, officers looking after the maroon Grand Am were approached by a man along with a woman who was identified as the registered owner of the vehicle. Both were taken into custody.

"He wants to tell us what happened, so we'll take it from there," Rocchio said.

"This is not an incident of road rage," a police spokesman later said. Officers termed the incident as "drug-related" though they did not offer more details on why they believe drugs were involved.

The males from the other vehicle have not been located. At last report there was no word if any charges had been laid.

deadmonton 2007 - other police matters - wild time in Westwood