What started as a stolen vehicle incident turned more serious after a suspect attempting to evade police stole a Winnipeg Police patrol unit.

Police say that around 2:30 am on Thursday, June 27, 2019, officers with the help of Air-1 tracked a stolen vehicle that was driving erratically to the Flying-J gasbar in Headingley.

Two suspects exited the vehicle then attempted to carjack another vehicle at the gasbar.

While police were securing the safety of several people in the area one of the suspects circled around and stole a marked police cruiser that was running.

The suspect then took the cop car onto the Trans-Canada Highway and headed west. Officers from Winnipeg Police and the RCMP pursued the vehicle as it made its way to a gas station just east of Portage la Prairie.

The suspect who stole the police cruiser was taken into custody. Charges are pending. The other suspect was arrested in Headingley.

Police say that as a result of the incident significant police resources were required and that triggered a backlog of more than 300 calls for service. Police say it will take several hours to work through the backlog but they are processing them based on a priority basis.