Police in western New Brunswick are continuing the manhunt for a suspect they say fired at police and fled the scene on a road in a wooded area. Police say the man, 25-year-old Stephen Perley, Jr., shown in an RCMP handout photo, is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.The Canadian Press
A search is underway in western New Brunswick for a man who fired at RCMP officers Friday night and fled down a road in a wooded area, the Mounties said Saturday.
Police located the suspect’s vehicle Saturday morning near the province’s western border, between Plaster Rock and Perth-Andover, and the search is ongoing.
The overnight manhunt prompted police to issue an alert advising residents in the area to shelter in place, lock doors and stay away from windows.
The Mounties issued a second alert Saturday morning after finding the vehicle saying people could leave their homes, but said the public should exercise caution and contact police immediately if they see the suspect.
Police said the man, 25-year-old Stephen Perley, Jr., is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. He is described as being five feet ten inches tall, with a small build and brown hair and brown eyes.
The RCMP said Mounties responded to a report Friday night of a man pointing and firing a gun in Medford, north of Tobique Narrows.
Police said the suspect fled the area in a vehicle and when officers tried to stop him the suspect fired at them, hitting an RCMP vehicle.
“There were no injuries … but this is, as you can imagine, a very dangerous situation,” RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette said. “We’re throwing our resources at this to make sure that we arrest this individual.”
He added that with investigations of this nature, the Mounties are in communication with law enforcement partners “whether that’s border enforcement or other policing jurisdictions.”
The search area in western New Brunswick is close to the U.S. border.
A spokeswoman with the nearby Maine State Police said in an e-mail she reached out to the lieutenant in charge of Arroostock County, Maine, which shares a border with Victoria County, N.B., where the suspect’s vehicle was located. That lieutenant was unaware of the manhunt next door, she said.