A 23-year-old Salmonier man, wanted by police, has been arrested and charged with a variety of offences after a dramatic and unusual sequence of events near Springdale.

RCMP received a report of an erratic driver around 2:00 Saturday afternoon. Police located the described vehicle on the main highway near Springdale, but it speeded away when police attempted to pull it over.

The vehicle was later found on Beachside Road on a parking lot by Davis Pond. When police pulled into the lot, the suspect vehicle—in an attempt to flee—backed into a metal post, and got stuck.

The driver and the other occupants of the car refused to get out for police and instead tried to free the car from the post by repeatedly putting it in drive and reverse.

Those efforts weren’t successful in freeing the car, but they were successful in getting the occupants to get out after the car caught fire. The driver and his passengers jumped out of the car, the driver was arrested, and the police extinguished the blaze.

Zachary Bartlett who was suspended from driving and wanted on an arrest warrant is now charged with flight from police, dangerous driving, resisting arrest, damage to property, and possession of a controlled substance as well as various tickets.

A 19-year-old woman in the car was arrested on an outstanding warrant and released on conditions.