Suspect suffers frostbite after being chased by Mounties for hours through frozen Alberta fields

Mounties got their man after tracking a suspect who fled on foot through the frozen farmers' fields of central Alberta in -25 C weather,sufferingfrostbite before finally being arrested.

The hours-long pursuit began with a break-and-enter in the Hanna area onDec. 29 and wrapped up in the wee morning hours of Dec. 30 with assistance from police in Brooks.

Hanna RCMP initially responded to the break-and-enter at 7:45 p.m. and, while en route, received reports the suspect had fled in a grey truck that had beenstolen earlierfrom theBassano area.

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Their attention was then quickly directed to Youngstown, 50 kilometres tothe east, where a truck matching the description was involved in a gas theft.

Police from Brooks joined in the search, and the truck was located at about 10 p.m., abandoned in a field.

Inside the vehicle, RCMP found five stolen firearms and two stolen TVs.

With the help of a police dog, officerspicked up atrack on the suspect and began pursuing him around midnight.

They proceeded to track the suspect for more than three hours through the winter night, recovering a sixth stolen firearm along the way, and finally catching him around 4 a.m.

He was taken to hospital to be treated for frostbite.

Police said charges are pending once the suspect is released from hospital.