ON July 31 at approximately 9:30 p.m., a pedestrian heard the sound of breaking glass and witnessed an assault in progress inside a home in the Queensborough neighbourhood of New Westminster.

The pedestrian called 9-1-1, and when police arrived, officers attempted to make contact with the people inside the home. Minutes later, a man exited the back door of the residence covered in blood. Officers kept their distance and used de-escalation techniques as the man refused to comply and continued walking toward them. Officers safely took the man into custody after deploying a Conducted Energy Weapon.

“The use of a Conducted Energy Weapon helped resolve a volatile situation without injury to the officers or anyone else,” said Media Relations Officer Andrew Leaver. “This allowed officers to safely make the arrest while minimizing risk to the public.”

The New Westminster Police Department uses the Axon Taser 7 as its Conducted Energy Weapon. This model features two cartridges, allowing a second deployment if the first dart fails to make contact. This feature was used effectively during the arrest, police said.