An Alberta Man Was Charged After Striking A Police Officer With Their Car At A Checkstop

An Alberta man is facing several charges after striking a police officer with his car after trying to flee a checkstop.

Alberta RCMP said officers had been conducting a checkstop on Glenbow Drive in Cochrane at around 11:50 p.m. on Friday, May 20. The driver pulled into the checkstop where an officer began speaking to them.

"The driver then accelerated, striking the officer and fleeing from the area," Alberta RCMP said, adding that a second officer had to "jump out of the way" to avoid being hit.

The vehicle then fled to the Sunset neighbourhood. RCMP officers from Cochrane and Stoney Nakoda searched the area and the driver was found and arrested minutes later.

The officer that had been hit by the car went to the hospital with "non-life-threatening injuries" and has now been released, police confirmed.

William Richard Kinning, from Cochrane, Alberta, now faces several charges including failing to stop while pursued by police, operating a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner causing bodily harm, assaulting a police officer with a weapon, operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams.

Kinning has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear in Cochrane Provincial Court on May 31, 2022.

Police have urged anyone who may have information on the incident or anyone who may have dashcam footage from May 20 at 11:45 p.m. and May 21 at 12:10 a..m. in the Glenbow Drive, Highway 22 and Highway 1A area, to the Sunset neighbourhood to get in touch. Reports can also be made anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.