SUBMITTED PHOTO A truck is seen after the driver crashed it into the exterior wall of a local business.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
A 27-year-old man drove his vehicle into a building Tuesday afternoon after threatening suicide, police say.
Around 12:30 p.m., police received a call from an individual in distress who was threatening to harm himself.
Shortly after, a vehicle was located at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Prince Street that was determined to belong to the caller.
“At that point, we did not know that was the person who was talking with dispatch and threatening self-harm,” said Staff Sgt. Trevor Humphries.
Officers approached the vehicle on foot and the male occupant shouted at them to “get back” while the officers observed him holding a large kitchen knife to his chest.
The officers on scene began “thinking about how we’re going to contain this,” Humphries said.
Moments after the officers moved away from the vehicle, the occupant drove it into the exterior wall of Nufloors.
“It took some effort to open the vehicle. Because of the damage, the driver’s door was not functional, so we had to force the door and remove him from the vehicle,” explained Humphries.
“Because we’re aware he’s willing to harm himself with a knife, not only are we trying to treat him for any medical injuries, there’s also a great concern about officer safety.”
He acknowledged striking this balance between ensuring the safety of the individual in distress and the officers on scene “is a real challenge.”
“As we approach this vehicle and he had been telling dispatch about a knife, we don’t know where that knife is. Until he’s safely in custody, we can’t account for where the knife is, so we’re going to do everything we can as safely as we can,” said Humphries.
The male was then taken into custody under the Mental Health Act and transferred to the hospital to treat the injuries he sustained from the crash.
Humphries says the subject could face charges under the Traffic Safety Act, but there’s no plans for criminal charges “at this time.”
Store manager Caitlin Doehring told the News she happened to be outside when the vehicle hit the wall.
“It was loud for sure,” she said. “I just peeked around and there were police officers swarming the vehicle, and they all had their guns out, so I went back inside.”
There are steel posts reinforcing the wall, which is what the vehicle’s occupant hit. Otherwise, he would have driven right through the building’s interior, Doehring added.
Nobody inside the business was hurt, but damage to the vehicle and building is pegged at $50,000.
