RCMP repeatedly ran down a potentially armed suspect as he walked along Hwy. 2A Friday near Wetaskiwin..Video taken by a passing motorist showed the man walking down the inside of the highway followed by a phalanx of RCMP officers pointing their guns at him. A police dog was also in the convoy straining to get at the suspect..Suddenly an RCMP cruiser accelerates towards to man, hitting him in the back and knocking him down..The man quickly gets back up and continues walking..This time, the cruiser speeds up and knocks the man down more forcefully..He is quickly swarmed by officers and the police dog is set on him. An RCMP officer can be seen taking something from the man’s hands and flinging it aside..The video of the incident has been watched thousands of times on social media, with many saying the RCMP used too much force – but a top officer defended the actions..The RCMP said they initially were contacted by motorists saying an armed man was walking down the highway..“Wetaskiwin RCMP, with the assistance of RCMP Police Dog Services, responded to the area and quickly located a lone male walking with a firearm,” said the force in a statement..“As the suspect was not following police verbal commands to drop the firearm, for public and police safety, a police vehicle was used to disarm the male..“A 35-year-old male was subsequently taken into custody. On-scene officers provided medical assistance, and the male was then transported to a local area hospital via ground ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were injured as a result of this incident.”.The RCMP press release made no mention of what kind of weapon was recovered..The RCMP says they will hold an internal inquiry into the incident..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
RCMP repeatedly ran down a potentially armed suspect as he walked along Hwy. 2A Friday near Wetaskiwin..Video taken by a passing motorist showed the man walking down the inside of the highway followed by a phalanx of RCMP officers pointing their guns at him. A police dog was also in the convoy straining to get at the suspect..Suddenly an RCMP cruiser accelerates towards to man, hitting him in the back and knocking him down..The man quickly gets back up and continues walking..This time, the cruiser speeds up and knocks the man down more forcefully..He is quickly swarmed by officers and the police dog is set on him. An RCMP officer can be seen taking something from the man’s hands and flinging it aside..The video of the incident has been watched thousands of times on social media, with many saying the RCMP used too much force – but a top officer defended the actions..The RCMP said they initially were contacted by motorists saying an armed man was walking down the highway..“Wetaskiwin RCMP, with the assistance of RCMP Police Dog Services, responded to the area and quickly located a lone male walking with a firearm,” said the force in a statement..“As the suspect was not following police verbal commands to drop the firearm, for public and police safety, a police vehicle was used to disarm the male..“A 35-year-old male was subsequently taken into custody. On-scene officers provided medical assistance, and the male was then transported to a local area hospital via ground ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were injured as a result of this incident.”.The RCMP press release made no mention of what kind of weapon was recovered..The RCMP says they will hold an internal inquiry into the incident..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
