Man arrested for brandishing replica gun in tense incident with lone officer downtown
By JEREMY APPEL on August 9, 2019.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel Police have arrested a man for brandishing a replica handgun while attending to an unrelated complaint in the downtown area. Around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, police arrived at a multi-dwelling unit downtown to follow up on a minor complaint, according to a Medicine Hat Police Service news release. As an officer walked from the parking lot to the building, they observed a man holding what appeared to be a handgun, looking like he was attempting to load a bullet into the chamber. The officer responded by pulling out their gun and demanding the individual in question drop their weapon. These demands were ignored, so the cops called for backup. While the officer on duty was waiting, the accused put the gun into his waistband and began approaching the officer before stumbling and falling onto the ground in a seated position. On the ground, the suspect still refused to relinquish his weapon. When backup arrived, the accused reached into his waistband for the gun, resisted arrest, but was subdued by the two officers. Upon arrest, the suspect’s gun was seized and it was determined to be a replica. Police note he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and narcotics. The male, who cannot be named until he appears before a justice of the peace for a bail hearing, is charged with possessing a weapon dangerous to public peace, as well as two breaches and an outstanding warrant. Staff Sgt. Kelsey Fraser told the News the individual wasn’t charged with resisting arrest, which police could have done, because of his level of intoxication at the time. “His coherency level and ability to make decisions was pretty impaired,” he said. “We have to weigh the public interest in every charge we lay. Just because we can lay it, doesn’t mean we should. “I still don’t know if this guy totally understood what he was doing.” Fraser says the on-duty officer had no means of knowing whether the suspect’s gun was real, so it was appropriate for him to draw his. “It’s not an automatic, linear decision,” he said. “When we’re presented with force, we have to meet it with force sometimes. “It would make no sense if we were challenged with a firearm to bring out a baton. We’re going to lose that confrontation if it goes badly.” Officers are trained “to address a firearm with a firearm,” Fraser added. There are other, less potentially lethal methods of dealing with an armed suspect, but they were deemed insufficient in this instance because the officer was all alone awaiting backup. “When you’re by yourself and presented with a firearm, drawing the weapon that you have been trained on that is not going to match that threat is probably a bad choice,” said Fraser. 20-19
