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A number of RCMP vehicles are seen south of Battleford on Highway 4, which was closed for some time on March 21 as police dealt with an incident. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)
shots fired

Battleford pursuit suspect remanded in custody until April

Mar 27, 2019 | 11:44 AM

The man facing charges arising from a police pursuit and exchange of gunfire south of Battleford last Thursday has been remanded in custody.

Randall Nicotine appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court Wednesday morning via closed-circuit television from Saskatoon. He will be back April 3.

Nicotine is facing a number of charges, including child endangerment, forcible confinement, and assault of a police officer with a weapon.

The 33-year-old man is still serving time for a federal sentence and was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for parole violations when he was arrested last week.

RCMP chased Nicotine along grid roads and onto Highway 4 heading north into Battleford the night of March 21. Mounties say they used a spike belt to stop an erratic driver, but the driver shot at an officer who then returned fire.

The vehicle carrying the gunman and other people fled and was stopped a second time, but the occupants got away and grabbed a ride with an unsuspecting driver. A search and a traffic stop later in the night led to the Nicotine’s arrest.

The Saskatchewan RCMP have asked the Moose Jaw Police Service to perform an independent investigation into the incident as shots were fired by officers. Additionally, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice has been asked to appoint an independent observer.

Nicotine is the same individual seen in the ‘Epic RCMP Takedown’ video that made the rounds on social media in 2016. His arrest on April 4 of that year was captured by a passing motorist’s dash cam.

That year, he was convicted of four counts of assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, resisting arrest and two counts of breach of probation. He was handed a four-year jail sentence less time served.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

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