Watch CBS News

Canada Officer Struck With Car Then Stabbed In Terrorist Attack

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

EDMONTON, Canada (CBSMiami) -- A car and knife attack on a police officer outside a football game and a high-speed chase of a moving van that left four people injured are being investigated as acts of terrorism, Canadian authorities said Sunday.

Edmonton, Canada Terror Attack
A rental truck lies on its side in Edmonton, Canada, on October 1, 2017, after a high speed chase. Canadian police arrested a man early Sunday suspected of stabbing an officer and injuring four pedestrians in a series of violent incidents being investigated as an 'act of terrorism.' The crime spree began late September 30 outside a football stadium and ended hours later with a high speed chase in which the driver of the rented truck plowed into pedestrians, police said. (Photo by MICHAEL MUKAI/AFP/Getty Images)

Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said officers took the suspect, later described as a 30-year-old Edmonton man, into custody and he is believed to have acted alone. Knecht said an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) flag was found in the car that hit the officer, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a terror attack.

The attack began outside a Canadian Football League game at Commonwealth Stadium in the western city of Edmonton on Saturday night, when police say a white Chevrolet Malibu rammed a traffic control barricade and sent an officer flying 15 feet into the air.

Knecht said the driver then got out and attacked the officer with a knife before fleeing on foot.

The officer was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries while a manhunt was launched. "It's not critical," Knecht said of the officer's condition.

Edmonton, Canada Terror Attack
Video shows the moments an officer in Edmonton, Canada is struck by a vehicle on Oct. 1, 2017. (Source: APTN)

A few hours later, a U-Haul van was stopped at an impaired driving checkpoint north of downtown, on Wayne Gretzky Drive. Knecht said the name of the driver was similar to the name of the registered owner of the car that hit the officer.

He said the van then sped off toward downtown with police in pursuit.

Police say the vehicle swerved at pedestrians at crosswalks throughout the chase. Four people were hurt, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

The van eventually flipped near a downtown hotel and the suspect was arrested. Knecht said the man was known to police but did not release his name.

"It is believed at this time that these two incidents are related," Knecht said. "It was determined that these incidents are being investigated as acts of terrorism."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.