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Attempted stop in Armstrong

Police actions investigated after driving suspect Tasered

Oct 29, 2019 | 1:34 PM

A police watchdog agency will be investigating the actions of Mounties after an incident in the Shuswap community of Malakwa on Monday.

An erratic driver was first reported in Lake Country around 1:30 a.m., with the vehicle said to be straying from its lane. Attempts to stop the car in Armstrong were not successful, and the driver narrowly missed hitting a police officer.

“A short time later, Sicamous and Salmon Arm RCMP front line officers stopped the vehicle in an area south of Sicamous. Prior to speaking to the driver, the vehicle again fled,” Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet, a senior media relations officer with B.C. RCMP Communication Services said.

The vehicle was stopped again in Malakwa, about 20 kilometres northeast of Sicamous.

“When officers attempted to take the man into custody, he allegedly resisted,” Shoihet said. “Officers deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon and the man was handcuffed but then went into medical distress. The 38-year-old man was transported to a local hospital by B.C. Emergency Health Services where he remains in critical condition.”

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating to determine if police actions or inactions are linked to the man’s injuries.

The RCMP is conducting a concurrent criminal investigation, including damage to two police vehicles.

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