NPD officers deploy Conducted Energy Weapon to disarm knife-wielding suspect
By Nelson Daily Staff
Nelson Police were forced to use a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) to disarm a distraught woman with a knife Sunday at an apartment building in the Heritage City.
Nelson Police Department Acting Sergeant Brian Weber said in a prepared statement said the woman became enraged, and started toward the officers with a knife in hand.
” A Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) was rapidly deployed by one of the officers,” Weber explained.
“The electrical impulses of the instrument disrupted the woman’s motor functions long enough for the officers to safely pounce and disarm her. She was detained under the Mental Health Act.”
The incident began when police were called to assist a landlord at an apartment building Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
NPD officers learned that the landlord and a tenant were very concerned for the safety of an upstairs tenant as well as themselves after the woman was in possession of a knife and was threatening to stab people.
“She could be heard screaming about having her things stolen,” Weber said.
The two officers approached the apartment of the woman, who is well known to Nelson Police. The officers located the woman on a mattress covered with a blanket moved from the apartment to the porch.
The woman’s bed frame was propped up against the wall while two television sets sat on the floor.
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The woman, in very poor mental health, was in a highly agitated state.
Weber said the officers engaged attempted to engage the woman conversation, but those efforts were fruitless as she was determined to protect her property.
The woman continued to rant and rave while alluding to the officers that she had a knife concealed beneath the blanket and stating that she was willing to use it.
The officers kept trying to explain to the woman that they were present only to help her, the paramedics were close by and they also wanted to help, pleading for the woman to hand over her knife.
After a lengthy dialogue one of the officers was able to remove the blanket enough to confirm that she was in possession of a sizeable kitchen knife. The woman became enraged, and started toward the officers with the knife in hand.
That’s when the A Conducted Energy Weapon, commonly referred to as Tasers, was deployed by one of the officers.
“Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured,” Weber said.
“The woman was quickly treated by paramedics and transported to Kootenay Lake Hospital where she was examined by a physician and committed to hospital care.”
Doctors, Nurses, Mental Health Professionals and Police have since been involved in discussions with the goal of keeping this person’s health from deteriorating to the point where she again becomes dangerous to herself and others.
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