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A police officer in Edmonton, Canada, was stabbed and four civilians injured in two incidents officials are investigating as connected "acts of terrorism."
Police said a man drove a car with an ISIS flag on its dashboard drove "at a high rate of speed" into a police barricade where an officer was directing traffic outside an Edmonton Eskimos Canadian Football League game at about 8:15 p.m. local time Saturday evening in Alberta province.
The suspect's car struck the officer, "sending him flying 15 feet through the air," police said.
The 30-year-old suspect then exited the vehicle, a white Chevrolet Malibu, and used a knife to stab the officer, police said.
The officer was stabbed multiple times, but police reported his injuries are not life-threatening.
The suspect then fled the scene on foot and managed to escape police.
Two hours later, police pulled over the driver of a U-Haul truck at a police checkpoint in the city and asked for the person's license. The officer noticed the name was similar to the owner of the Chevy Malibu, upon which the U-Haul driver fled the scene with police in pursuit.
According to police, the U-Haul driver drove toward downtown Edmonton and "attempted to deliberately hit pedestrians in the crosswalk." Police say "it is believed four pedestrians were struck by the truck and transported to hospital with multiple injuries."
The U-Haul flipped on its side on Jasper Avenue, a main thoroughfare through downtown Edmonton, during the chase and police managed to apprehend the individual, police said.
Social media photos of Jasper Avenue showed the U-Haul flipped on its side in the middle of the street.
The Edmonton Police Service said the driver rammed the officer outside Commonwealth Stadium. Police confirmed the ISIS flag said to have been on the car dashboard as evidence, but would only say it was part of the investigation.
"Based on evidence at the scenes and the actions of the suspect, at 12:38 a.m. today it was determined that these incidents are being investigated as acts of terrorism," said Rod Knecht, Edmonton police chief.
Knecht said in a statement, “Currently, we believe this is an individual who acted alone, although the investigation is in its early stages."
We are urging all Edmontonians to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings," Knecht said. "Please contact police immediately if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary or unusual.”
(ABC)
