A man who attacked a Mountie with a needle and fled from police was shot before eventually being Tasered and caught about an hour later by RCMP on Friday (Feb. 12).
The man was taken into custody in Harvie Heights after police used a Taser to subdue him as he continued to use the needle in a threatening manner.
The man had been shot earlier in Banff when he tried to evade police. He later received medical treatment for the gunshot wound to his lower body that was not life threatening.
Herb MacAulay, chairman of the Banff RCMP’s community advisory committee, said he could not speak specifically to last Friday’s incident, but did say it highlights the need for a full complement of police.
Banff’s RCMP detachment has two fewer cops in the wake of a new three-year contract signed by the Town of Banff and the Alberta Solicitor General’s office.
“This has blown everybody away in terms of the sheer insanity of the whole thing. I think it’s a real wake-up call for the entire community that we do occasionally have a very serious need for policing,” he said.
“It also highlights again that it’s not the people in our community that are generally committing these crimes,” MacAulay added.
“The Bow Valley is a bottleneck and we have the Trans-Canada Highway running right by. It’s a no-brainer to maintain a strong presence in the valley.”
The investigation of the incident has been handed over to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
The drama began shortly after noon when the RCMP tried to stop a silver GMC Envoy on the Trans-Canada Highway just outside Banff.
Police say the vehicle would not stop and drove erratically through the Banff townsite at slow speeds, before eventually stopping on Banff Avenue near Banff Caribou Lodge.
As an RCMP member tried to grab the keys from the ignition, police say the man tried to stab him with a hypodermic needle.
Sgt. Patrick Webb of RCMP ‘K’ Division said at that point the officer fired one round from his service pistol into the vehicle.
“He tried to stab the officer with the needle but did not get him,” he said.
The man then fled in his vehicle, with several patrol cars and Parks Canada’s dog handler Mike Henderson following closely behind along Banff Avenue.
As he headed eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway, police pursued, but called off the chase quickly due to potential danger to other drivers on the highway.
It was reported the vehicle briefly travelled eastbound on the westbound lanes. Traffic was stopped at one point to reduce the danger to the public.
The man managed to avoid at least one spikebelt, but his vehicle was disabled by another spikebelt at the park’s east gate near Harvie Heights.
The bizarre chase continued throughout the hamlet until the damaged vehicle was eventually stopped. He got out of the vehicle, using the needle in a threatening manner and was Tasered by police.
RCMP called in a search dog with Parks Canada to search sections on the side of the TCH for objects the suspect may have thrown from his vehicle as he was fleeing.
Town of Banff officials want to reiterate that Banff is a safe community, although serious incidents to occur from time to time.
“I support our RCMP and whatever action they felt was necessary so that the gentleman that was apprehended did not cause further harm to person or property,” said Mayor Karen Sorensen.
No member of the public or RCMP officers were injured in this incident.
