A man in his 30s was shot by police in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., earlier this afternoon after he hit two members of the Canadian Forces with his car and led police on a dramatic high-speed chase.
The soldiers were hit in a parking lot of a commercial plaza at around 11:30 a.m. ET. Both were injured, one critically.
The incident was raised in the House of Commons this afternoon by Conservative MP Randy Hoback, who questioned Prime Minister Stephen Harper about “unconfirmed reports of a possible terror attack” targeting members of the Canadian Forces.
Harper would only say he is “aware of these reports” and that they are troubling.
Police have not named the soldiers but confirmed at an afternoon press conference that they were members of the armed forces.
Lieut. Guy Lapointe of the Sûreté du Québec said it’s too soon to say if the victims were targeted.
The chase ended when the suspect lost control of his vehicle and it flipped into a ditch. (Alain Beland/Radio Canada)
“All I can say is that the theory that this is a deliberate act is part of what we’ll be looking at,” he said. “But it’s really too early to speculate at this point.”
Shot by police
Lapointe said officers from the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu police spotted the suspect not long after the soldiers were hit and followed the driver for four kilometres.
The chase ended when the suspect lost control of his car, flipping it into a ditch.
Police say the man got out of the vehicle and several shots were fired by officers.
The suspect suffered life-threatening injuries.
Quebec provincial police are now investigating.
