TRUCK CRASHES BORDER IN A HAIL OF BULLETS

Two men are in jail after a truck carrying marijuana crashed through
a border crossing into Canada in a hail of police bullets.

"It's definitely an odd case," RCMP spokesman Cpl. Janice Armstrong
said yesterday. "Marijuana is readily available in British Columbia."
The incident began just after midnight Monday when border patrol
agents stopped a pickup truck driving slowly next to the border in an
area well-known for smuggling.

As agents approached the vehicle, it sped away heading towards the
Peace Arch crossing, where all lanes were blocked except one safety
escape route.

Armstrong said the truck burst through a barrier at the border,
heading straight for a marked police car parked on the other side.

The RCMP officer inside heard what sounded like gunfire and fired
three shots, one of which hit the vehicle, she said.

RCMP pursued the suspects but called the chase off because the truck
was travelling dangerously fast.

When police found the truck later, the truck's passenger jumped out
and tried to run away but was tracked by police dogs and arrested.

The driver was arrested without incident when the pickup
stopped.

Armstrong said police seized two hockey bags containing 17 kg of
marijuana divided among 75 small bags along with a loaded .45-calibre
semi-automatic pistol. Two-way radios were also found.

Jeff William Haugen, 20, of Surrey and Andris Michael Lawson, 21, of
no fixed address, are each charged with possession for the purpose of
trafficking, possession of a firearm and improper entry into Canada
under the Canada Immigration Act.