A Ladysmith RCMP officers was forced to Taser a man on Monday night after allegedly being assaulted while responding to multiple reports of an impaired driver in the Stz’uminus First Nation community.
The RCMP said a lone officer was out patrolling for the suspected driver when he conducted a vehicle stop on an unrelated matter.
The motorist was not carrying a licence and the vehicle was subsequently impounded under the Motor Vehicle Act.
As the officer was dealing with driver the registered owner of the vehicle showed up and “became confrontational, ultimately resulting in a physical confrontation…” according to a press release.
Several posts on social media suggest the man allegedly involved in the incident is a well known Stz’uminus elder.
Ladysmith Staff-Sgt Ken Brissard said there were several other bystanders present at the time but they only yelled at the RCMP officer when he asked for assistance.
“The officer says that he asked ‘help me, help me’ to contain the person that was being arrested, and to prevent the struggle that ensued until he could get the person handcuffed, and nobody would step forward to help him,” he said.
“People should be willing to help people and I do understand people’s hesitation.”
The officer was forced to deploy a conducted energy weapon, or Taser, and took the man into custody without further incident.
“At the end of the day every Canadian has to be able to justify their actions and that includes the police,” Brissard said.
The man, whose name has not been released, is now facing charges of Assault on a Peace Officer and Obstruction. He was released on a promise to appear in court.
The investigation remains ongoing.