Delta police are highlighting a case last week where a potential tragedy had a successful outcome.
Officers had to use a Taser to subdue an armed break and enter suspect in Tsawwassen who was asking officers to kill him. "This had the potential to be a very dangerous situation involving a person with apparent mental health and drug addiction issues," said Chief Jim Cessford. "In British Columbia we train our officers to the highest
level and in Delta we utilize ongoing training and reality-based scenarios which are designed to effectively prepare our officers to handle these situations in a safe and effective manner.
"We often talk about the incidents that end up with a tragic outcome," he said. "It is important to state that the police handle dangerous incidents like this on a daily basis and the end result is a peaceful outcome."
At about 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, Delta police were called to a residence on Jackson Way after a neighbour reported an unknown man was walking around on the second floor deck and roof area of a home.
Upon arrival, officers saw the man, who was now inside the home, walking around in an apparent agitated state. The man told police he had a gun.
"Refusing to comply with any police commands, he then stripped his shirt off and told police members that he wanted them to shoot him," said A/Sgt. Sarah Swallow.
Officers called in the RCMP emergency response team, however in the meantime the man produced a knife and began stabbing himself in the neck and chest.
Concerned about the man's safety, Swallow said officers entered the home and attempted to talk to him, but he refused to follow directions and attempted to barricade himself in a room with the knife.
Officers then Tasered the man, who was believed to be high on drugs at the time, and safely took him into custody. Paramedics immediately treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital for treatment of his self-inflicted stab wounds.
"The sad thing is, that while under the influence of drugs or suffering from some sort of acute mental illness, the subjects we deal with are often unpredictable and a higher level of force has to be used to solve the situation," said Cessford.
During a subsequent investigation, officers were able to link the man, who is known to police, to a second break and enter and a vehicle theft that occurred earlier that day.
As a result, 26-year-old Katlin Richardson has been charged with two counts of break and enter and one count of theft of a motor vehicle.
