2 men charged with firearms offences after car chase in Halifax appear in court
Emma Davie | CBC News | Posted: December 14, 2020 8:03 PM | Last Updated: December 14, 2020
Cameron Mombourquette released on bail, Dawid Denisow remanded until his next court appearance
Two men facing a number of firearms charges in relation to a federal RCMP investigation that involved a dramatic car chase in Halifax last week made their first court appearance on Monday morning.
On Wednesday, RCMP members of the federal serious and organized crime unit and the emergency response team attempted to stop a car near Highway 102 and Dunbrack Street.
The vehicle fled and RCMP said police pursued it for about two minutes before officers forced the car off the road. Videos on social media show a car driving over grass and a sidewalk around 3 p.m. with multiple unmarked police SUVs and trucks in pursuit.
The driver, Cameron Mombourquette, 23, and passenger, Dawid Denisow, 24, were arrested at the scene, on Elliott Street, and later charged.
Both men are facing numerous firearms charges, including transporting a prohibited firearm in a careless manner, possessing a prohibited weapon for a purpose dangerous to public peace, possessing a prohibited weapon without a licence, and possessing a prohibited weapon with an altered, defaced, or removed serial number.
Court records say the charges relate to a 9 mm Luger semi-automatic handgun and an overcapacity magazine.
Mombourquette was also charged with dangerous driving and failing to stop while being pursued by an officer.
He has been released on conditions, including a curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. He is to have no contact with Denisow, remain within the province and not possess firearms, crossbows, weapons or explosive substances.
He will return to court on Feb. 3 for elections.
In a news release last week, police said the occupants threw a loaded handgun out of the window of the vehicle while it was still moving. Officers also found a "significant quantity of drugs believed to be cocaine" in the car.
The incident also prompted police to search a home on Willett Street in Halifax.
Denisow, who is listed in court records as living on Willett Street, is facing seven additional weapons charges, including two counts of unsafe storage of a firearm with a loaded magazine, possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to public peace and possession of a firearm without a licence.
Police said at the time they found and seized a "loaded AR-15 assault rifle" and ammunition at the home. However, the court documents from Monday amended the seven additional charges Denisow is facing to name the weapon as a Just Right Carbines semi-automatic 40-calibre rifle.
Denisow will return to court on Thursday morning for a bail hearing.
The RCMP response during the investigation last week has since drawn some criticism from people concerned about public safety.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey said the RCMP owe the public an explanation over both the high-speed chase during rush hour and a raid of an apartment building near a school just as students were leaving for the day.
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