Cops chase down wanted teen

A Winnipeg teen who led police on a dangerous, high-speed car chase Monday night was wanted for questioning following a deadly crash involving a stolen Hummer earlier this month, the Free Press has learned.

The 17-year-old, who can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is a member of the city's most prominent family of auto thieves and under the most stringent form of supervision the law allows. His 17-year-old cousin was arrested last week and charged with manslaughter for allegedly being a passenger in the Hummer that killed 47-year-old Zdzislaw Andrzejczak on Dec. 11.

Police had been looking for the teen as part of their ongoing investigation. The 18-year-old driver of the Hummer was arrested last week but investigators are still searching for a third occupant who fled the scene.

The teen arrested Monday, and 19-year-old Gerran McKay, were recently released on bail with conditions that included being outfitted with GPS ankle bracelets. Both are Level 4 offenders under the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy, the maximum designation available, and means they are under frequent supervision by police

They were wearing the court-issued bracelets, but allegedly stole a newer-model Chevy Suburban from a parking lot in the 1300 block of McPhillips Street early Monday evening.

Two homes were broken into just after 8 p.m. and no property was taken. But a half-hour later, a home in the 100 block of Great Elm Cove was broken into and a newer-model Ford Fusion was stolen from the garage. The suspects ditched the Suburban and fled in the Fusion.

With the help of Manitoba Probation Services' electronic monitoring staff, the suspects' whereabouts were tracked to the south Tuxedo area of the city.

At 8:50 p.m., police spotted the Fusion in the area of Holland Boulevard and Grant Avenue and attempted to stop it. From there, an intermittent pursuit began that would ultimately involve a dozen police cruisers, including a canine unit and four members of the stolen auto unit, and would take the police from one end of the city to the other, from Tuxedo to Inkster Boulevard and into Elmwood.

Winnipeg police Const. Jacqueline Chaput said the pursuit was aborted a few times, particularly on Grant Avenue, because it became too dangerous for officers. At some points, the suspects were travelling at speeds in excess of 100 km/h. Both thieves cut off their ankle bracelets during the pursuit, Chaput said, but police still managed to corner the heavily damaged Fusion at about 9:40 p.m. at Chalmers Avenue and Henderson Highway. The Fusion was involved in at least one collision, Chaput said.

"No one was hurt, thankfully," she said.

Police have now laid a series of charges against the 17-year-old and McKay. Justice sources say McKay has an extensive criminal history, much of which has been attributed to severe fetal alcohol syndrome.

The 17-year-old boy, his cousin and his two brothers, ages 19 and 21, have racked up more than 200 convictions in the past five years but have not been deterred by the consequences of their crimes. The crimes include numerous counts of car theft, dangerous driving, fleeing the police and possessing stolen goods, along with dozens of court breaches.

The 17-year-old once told a probation officer at the age of 12 how it was "fun" to drive a stolen car at high speeds towards oncoming traffic. The oldest brother is currently in Stony Mountain penitentiary serving a lengthy sentence. The 19-year-old brother is free in the community.

Police sources say the family members routinely laugh off their arrests and joke about how fast they can drive their stolen cars in an attempt to evade arrest. Manitoba Public Insurance has obtained more than $200,000 in judgments against the family members for several costly crime sprees.

There is one piece of good news with the recent spate of car-theft arrests -- only two high-risk offenders are still on the streets.

"If they were both to be picked up, every Winnipegger could keep their car unlocked over Christmas," one justice source said.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 23, 2009 A3