Several people were taken to hospital, including two minors, after a serious car crash Thursday morning.
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Police said some of those involved suffered serious injuries and remain in critical and life-threatening condition.
The crash happened around 10 a.m. at Southland Drive and Macleod Trail S. and was preceded by an armed robbery at a pharmacy on the city's southwest side.
According to the Calgary Fire Department (CFD), five vehicles were involved in the crash, all of which were heavily damaged.
Battalion Chief Scott Cowan said he knows of two people under the age of 18 and two adults who were taken to hospital. Those were the most serious injuries at the scene, the CFD said, although there were others.
Paul Donaldson, who was in one of the other vehicles involved in the chain reaction, said: "Unfortunately, when I got out of the car, I saw the little girl lying on the ground and they (rescuers) were tending to her." vehicle-collision---southland-dr-and-macleod-tr-1-7158010-1735235808396.jpeg
Donaldson had to climb out of his vehicle, pulling his partner with him.
He said his partner received cuts to his face.
"We ended up climbing into the back seat to get to the back, jumping out of the back. I had to get (my partner) out of the car," he said. "Everything worked. All the airbags."
Donaldson said the incident felt "surreal" and left him "shocked."
"We were sitting at a red light, ready to go eastbound," he said.
"The minivan that was there ran a red light and this little gray car was trying to turn around. ... It tore a hole in the car and hit us."
Donaldson said someone was arrested by police at the scene. "They took him out of the van. There were about five or six police officers on top of the kid," he said.
Calgary police, fire and emergency medical services were called to Southland Drive and Macleod Trail in the city's south on Thursday to a vehicle accident.
Police said later Thursday that they were following the vehicle before the crash.
Pharmasave at 15 Millrise Blvd. S.W. was robbed, his pharmacist was assaulted and a vehicle was stolen around 9:30 a.m.
Rabina Rabina was working at the Shell station near Pharmasave at the time of the robbery.
"I was sitting there. I was doing my business and I saw someone crossing the street. I felt something was wrong. Then I closed the door and he tried to come in. So I told him to come to the side window so I could take care of him, but he ignored me," she said.
"So he went to Pharmasave and after about two minutes I saw he was in a hurry, he just started the pharmacist's car and drove away."
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The ordeal left her devastated. "I was thinking about my safety. I was completely alone and thinking, 'What if he comes and hurts me too?'" he said.
Police say that after the robbery, the suspect refused to stop for officers on the ground and was driving dangerously.
A police helicopter continued to monitor the vehicle from above.
Police said the suspect ran a red light at Southland Drive and Macleod Trail, leading to the crash. The suspect remains in custody and charges are pending.
The YYC Department of Transportation said roads were closed in all directions and motorists should avoid the area.
Police said they have closed Macleod Trail northbound and southbound from 94th Avenue to 99th Avenue SE, and Southland Drive westbound and eastbound from Horton Road S.W to Bonaventure Drive S.E.
Police are also advising motorists to seek alternate routes in the area.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been notified of the incident.
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