Westside standoff ends in arrest

By Kalinowski, Tim on August 20, 2020.

Suspect Dylan Sokol arrested at a home on the 100 block of Lafayette Blvd. West last night in Lethbridge after a four hour standoff with police. After breaching the house, police arrested Sokol without further incident. Herald photo by Tim Kalinowski

Tim Kalinowski

Lethbridge Herald

tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

After a tense standoff with police at a westside residence, a 24-year-old male wanted in connection with a hit-and-run incident was arrested by the Lethbridge Police Service’s Critical Incident Response Team Wednesday evening.

Dylan Ivan Sokol had been previously identified by police in connection with a hit-and-run incident on Aug. 12 where a 37-year-old male was admitted to Chinook Regional Hospital.

Subsequent investigation determined the male and a female acquaintance were driving along 10 Street North at the intersection with 3 Avenue North when they were involved in an altercation with a red Volkswagen Jetta. Both vehicles pulled over and the confrontation continued culminating with the male being run over in the street. The female drove the male to CRH and he was later transported to Calgary. He remains in hospital.

The red Jetta was located and the driver identified, but attempts to locate the driver had been unsuccessful and a warrant was eventually issued by police.

Police later tracked the suspect to a residence on the 100 block of Lafayette Boulevard West, arriving on the scene just before 4 p.m., according to witnesses.

The LPS barricaded off the area and issued a warning to the public to stay away as they were dealing with a high-risk individual barricaded in the home. Police later identified that individual as Sokol.

In order to effect the arrest after receiving no response from inside the residence after several hours of trying, the Critical Incident Response Team breached the garage doorway at about 7:40 p.m. and used non-lethal concussion devices to force the individual out. The suspect then willingly surrendered after a tense exchange with police and was arrested without further incident.

Sokol was wanted for dangerous driving causing bodily harm, operating a motor vehicle while prohibited and causing an accident resulting in bodily harm prior to the standoff incident, and will likely be facing more charges. Those charges were not yet confirmed by police prior to press time on Wednesday.

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