The Saskatoon Police Service says shortly before 1 a.m. Monday officers tried to execute a traffic stop in the area of 19th Street West and Avenue R South, but the vehicle sped away. Officers disengaged but the vehicle was spotted later in the morning in the area of Avenue W North and 33rd Street West where a tire deflation device was successfully deployed.

Despite all the tires being deflated the suspects didn’t abandon the vehicle until they reached 33rd Street West and Matheson Drive. A track using a police service dog led to an address in the 1000 block of Macklem Drive where two suspects were located and arrested.

In a news release, police say a search of the vehicle located weapons and a dog that belonged to the registered owner and that the dog was inside when the vehicle was stolen.  The dog wasn’t believed to have been injured and was returned to its owner.  Police also found a loaded sawed-off shotgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, an airsoft grenade launcher and airsoft grenade, a hunting knife, an expandable baton, and identification belonging to the suspects.

As a result, two men, age 27 and 39, have been charged with possession of stolen property over $5000 and numerous weapons-related offences. The 27-year-old man was also charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle, evading police, and failing to comply with court-imposed conditions.