Police ask for help to locate missing ammunition
A Calgary Police Service handgun magazine and the 15 rounds of ammunition contained inside were pulled off an officer’s belt during an altercation with a suspect and foot chase on Monday evening.
At approximately 6 p.m., on Monday, July 16, 2018, two officers were dispatched to the 0-100 block of Madeira Road N.E., after a resident in the area reported a car prowling in progress. When the officers arrived, the officers found a small group of people sitting in a green space nearby.
While questioning a man in the group who matched the description of the car prowler, it is alleged that the man spit at the officers and then became violent when the officers attempted to take him into custody. The suspect ran away from the officers after a physical altercation, then the suspect was chased through several residential yards before being taken into custody a short distance away.
One officer’s uniform was ripped during the incident. His cell phone (a BlackBerry Classic) and the missing magazine were also pulled from his belt at some point during the altercation and pursuit. A thorough search of the area was immediately conducted by multiple officers, but neither the phone or magazine were recovered.
Marc Mitchell REES, 31, of Calgary, has been charged in connection with this incident with two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count each of escaping lawful custody and resisting a peace officer.
The Calgary Police Service uses a type of ammunition that is commonly available to gun owners and the lost ammunition poses minimal risk to the public without a firearm. Service magazines are restricted because they hold five more rounds than other gun owners are permitted to have in a magazine. The magazine only fits one make of handgun and poses no risk to the public on its own.
However, police still need to locate the items to ensure that they are secure and are never used in the commission of a crime.
The Calgary Police Service would like to sincerely apologize to Calgarians for the loss of the loaded magazine. Firearm safety and security is one of our top priorities and information about this incident is being released in the interests of transparency and because the Service needs help to locate the missing items.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the lost magazine, phone or ammunition is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be left anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers using either of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
Case # 18319064/5288