Escaped Dorchester inmate captured in Fredericton after 'extensive pursuit'

RCMP say a 29-year-old inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary was captured after a lengthy chase in Fredericton Friday evening by members of RCMP and the Fredericton Police Force.

Jeffrey MacLean was arrested after a pursuit throughout the southside of the city, which began at 6:50 p.m., said Alycia Bartlett, spokeswoman for the Fredericton police. 

In a statement, Bartlett said the chase began when police spotted MacLean in a vehicle on Montgomery Street and he refused to stop. 

"During the incident, MacLean committed a theft from a local business and attempted to steal another vehicle while committing a robbery," said Bartlett.

About 40 minutes later, she said, MacLean crashed a vehicle into two police cruisers and then fled on foot. Bartlett said he was "apprehended quickly" and taken into custody by Fredericton police and the RCMP.

A number of police cars converged on Charlotte Street in downtown Fredericton, where a witness reported seeing a man run from a crashed vehicle.

'On foot with a baseball bat'

Ross Stewart said he saw the man run "on foot with a baseball bat."

Charlotte Street has been closed to the public and is now "a crime scene," said police

Members of Fredericton's primary response team, the police service dog, major crime team and forensic identification section responded to the incident, said Bartlett. 

"Two Fredericton police officers received minor injuries as a result of the incident, but unrelated to the motor vehicle collision," she said.

Earlier on Friday, RCMP Const. Jullie-Rogers-Marsh said MacLean stole a Toyota Corolla from the Royal Road in Memramcook, near Moncton, after assaulting the owner of the vehicle. The owner was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  

MacLean, who escaped from the prison's minimum security unit at 3:15 p.m. AT, is serving a sentence of nine years, four months and 21 days for armed robbery, robbery with violence and disguise with intent, according to a statement from the Correctional Service of Canada.

The correctional service and Dorchester Penitentiary "are conducting a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident," the statement said.

MacLean is expected to appear in court at a later date to face charges related to this incident, police said.