AT approximately noon on January 14, the New Westminster Police Department received two reports of a woman causing a disturbance in the uptown neighbourhood. The woman allegedly shoved an elderly citizen and was very aggressive with people inside businesses and on the street.

New Westminster Police officers quickly arrived on scene and worked to de-escalate the situation. However, while the female was being handcuffed, she resisted and assaulted one of the members by scratching his face and eye. The female was further restrained, handcuffed and then transported to hospital for assessment and follow-up care. The injured member also required medical treatment for his injuries, however, they do not appear to be overly serious.

It was later determined the female was in violation of several court orders. Criminal charges for assaulting a police officer and breaching those conditions are being considered.

“These kinds of disturbance calls can be very unpredictable as our members don’t know exactly what they are dealing with initially,” said Deputy Chief Constable Paul Hyland. “I am very proud of how our members conducted themselves in resolving this situation and glad that no one was seriously injured.”

Investigators believe there are witnesses to these events that have not yet come forward and spoken to police. Furthermore, it is possible additional persons may have been assaulted but had fled the area prior to police arriving. Investigators would like to speak to these people and offer them the services of our Victim Assistance Unit. Investigators can be reached by calling the on-duty Watch Commander at 604-525-5411.

If you feel you would benefit from speaking to a mental health or substance use professional, visit the Fraser Health website www.fraserhealth.ca. The Government of British Columbia has also made additional mental health supports available through https://gov.bc.ca/Covid19MentalHealthSupports.