Machete wielding man arrested

Oceanside

2021-03-31 08:18 PDT

File # 2021-3043

On March 30 at 4:15 p.m., the Oceanside RCMP received a call advising there was a suspicious looking man in Parksville who had entered a restaurant with a large machete sheathed on his side. Prior to police attendance, the man left on foot on Highway 19a.

When police located the man near the orange bridge he refused to acknowledge police direction and proceeded to unsheathe the machete and walk away from officers. Multiple officers tried to deescalate the situation with the hostile man to no avail. The man then turned on police and was yelling at the officers and encouraging them to shoot him. He then advanced with the machete and started slashing and stabbing at the hood of a police vehicle. A Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) was deployed, affording officers the opportunity to safely arrest the 25 year old Parksville man. Fortunately, neither the suspect, nor the police in attendance suffered any injuries as a result of the man’s actions or the subsequent arrest.

Due to the nature of the call and the suspect’s apparent irrational behaviour, he was taken to hospital for a mental health evaluation. Once released from hospital, the man will be taken into police custody. A detailed report will be submitted to Crown Counsel for review.

This was a dynamic and dangerous situation involving a multi member response. I’m proud of the way the officers responded and thankful it ended without any injuries. - States Cpl. Foreman
 

Released by

Sgt. Chris Manseau

Email: chris.manseau@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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