Traffic stop near Banff turns into helicopter pursuit, attempted carjacking

An RCMP traffic stop on the Trans-Canada Highway quickly escalated into a police pursuit and an attempted carjacking before a spike belt disabled the fleeing vehicle.

Mounties stopped a vehicle on Highway 1 inside Banff National Park at about 5 p.m. on Monday, RCMP said in a release.

The driver fled eastbound on the highway and then went south on Highway 40 toward Kananaskis before returning westward towardCanmore.

RCMP officers from Banff,Canmore and Kananaskis were assisted by a Calgary police helicopter as they tried to stop the fleeing vehicle.

Drove into oncoming traffic

Police disabled the vehicle with a spike belt west of Dead Man's Flats, but the man behind the wheel continued to drive into oncoming traffic and then tried to steal another vehicle by force, RCMP said.

He was quickly arrested with help from an RCMP canine unit.

The female passenger was arrested without incident, police said.

In the vehicle, officers found 50 tablets of suspected fentanyl, 30 grams of methamphetamine, five grams of cocaine and a loaded handgun.

Two face charges

Antonio Nolasco Pania, 23, and Dina Anthony, 55, bothfrom Chilliwack, B.C., eachface multiple criminal charges including possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of illegal drugs for the purposes of trafficking, as well as robbery of a motor vehicle with violence.

Pania appeared in Canmore provincial court on Wednesday and was kept in custody. He is set to appear again Oct. 9.

Anthony was released and is set to appear in Canmore provincial court on Oct. 16.