Shamattawa police facing growing violence: RCMP
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RCMP in the Shamattawa First Nation said an incident of violent behaviour toward police officers follows others that have been putting officers in danger in recent months in the northern community.
RCMP said they were forced to use a Taser on a woman in Shamattawa on March 11, after she allegedly brandished a knife and threw a ceramic pot at police officers.
RCMP were called to a home on March 10 in the community located more than 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg, after getting reports of a woman armed with a knife in a home who was damaging and breaking items.
Police said the woman left before officers arrived.
Around 1:45 a.m., on March 11, according to police, people from the same home called police to say the woman had returned and was breaking items at the home. Screaming could be heard in the background during the call, RCMP added.
When officers entered the home they say a woman threw a ceramic pot at them, which shattered into pieces against the wall behind them.
When officers tried to arrest the woman they said she resisted and pulled a knife out of her pocket. At this point officers used a Taser on the woman to incapacitate her.
“The female pulled a knife out of her pocket and a conducted energy weapon (CEW) was deployed,” RCMP said. “One of the officers deployed a conducted energy weapon but it did not affect the woman. It was then deployed a second time.
“It proved effective on the second attempt, knocking the woman to the ground, and officers were able to subdue and arrest her.”
Police said the woman remained combative as she was transported back to the detachment, hitting the windows of the police vehicle, and said that once she was inside the detachment, she spat at officers.
The suspect is now charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, and one count of resisting arrest. No allegations have been tested in court.
RCMP also said recently that they have been dealing with increasing amounts of violent acts directed at police officers in Shamattawa, and are concerned for officers’ safety in the community.
“If our officers are being attacked and seriously injured when they respond to a call, it creates dangerous situations all around, and it will not be tolerated,” Manitoba North District RCMP Insp. Kyle Watson said in a Feb.14 media release warning of the increased violence.
In another recent incident, officers said they were attacked by several people, were punched, kicked and bitten, and that heavy items were thrown at one officer causing significant injuries after responding to calls of a party causing a disturbance.
In another incident last April, RCMP said several people surrounded an officer who was attempting to make an arrest and began to kick and punch the officer. The officer suffered injuries from the attack.
— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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