A terminally ill Winnipeg man who goaded police to shoot him after a high-speed chase in a stolen truck has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Michael Grozelle, 51, previously pleaded guilty to several charges including flight from police, obstruction of justice, assaulting a police officer and possession of stolen property.

Court heard at the time of the Sept. 17, 2013 incident Grozelle had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and had suffered the death of two close family members.

Judge Brian Corrin said Grozelle's "state of grief" was no excuse for putting the lives of police officers and everyone else on the roadway at risk.

"This is clearly a case where personal deterrence and denunciation and protection of the public is paramount," Corrin said.

Grozelle was searching vehicles for cigarette butts around 5 a.m. when he came upon a stolen pickup truck on Henderson Highway, complete with keys.

Police had already been following the vehicle when Grozelle sped away, sparking a 31-kilometre, 18-minute chase that involved seven police cruisers and the deployment of three spike belts before he was finally arrested near Lockport.

During the chase, Grozelle reached speeds as high as 150 km/h and blew through several stop signs.

After one of the truck's tires flew off, Grozelle continued to drive on the wheel rims, said Crown attorney Melissa Weinstein. Even when the vehicle came to a stop, Grozelle continued to stomp on the accelerator as police surrounded him.

Once outside the vehicle, Grozelle resisted arrest and urged police to shoot him.

"It appears he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory," Weinstein said. "It seemed as though he wanted a suicide by cop and to bring police officers down with him."

In a victim impact statement, one of the officers said the incident "was by far the most dangerous vehicle pursuit I have ever been in."

Defence lawyer Don Mokriy urged Corrin to sentence Grozelle to time served and allow him to spend time with his family.

"The medical situation for him is rather bleak," Mokriy said. "Despite that, the most important thing in life remains his children and to be there for him as much as he can."

Grozelle wiped tears from his eyes as Mokriy read letters he received from his four children while in custody.

Corrin said Grozelle's lengthy criminal record, including multiple convictions for assault, disentitled him to leniency.

"This a man who, with all due respect, for a very long time has been a menace to society," Corrin said.

Corrin, in recognition of Grozelle's medical prognosis, granted him credit of 1.5 days for ever day served, reducing his remaining sentence to 17 months.

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @deanatwpgsun