A man is facing several charges, including assaulting a police officer, after dragging an RCMP constable a short distance using a vehicle during a traffic stop in Whitefish Lake on Saturday.
St. Paul RCMP were in the area of Whitefish Lake First Nation searching for a male suspect, well-known to police, in connection to a domestic violence complaint.
The suspect was eventually located by a lone police officer inside a vehicle during a traffic stop on Main Road.
When the officer tried to arrest the man, he allegedly attacked. The police officer tried spraying pepper spray at the suspect, but the man continued to fight.
The suspect then tried to get into the police vehicle, but the constable managed to pull him away. The two struggled on the ground, and the suspect punched the police officer several times in the head and face.
“During that altercation on the ground, the suspect attempted to disarm the member and the officer was able to successfully prevent that,” said RCMP Sgt. Jeff Campbell.
However, the man did manage to gain entry into the police vehicle.
“As he fled the scene, the officer was dragged a short ways by the vehicle as he attempted to stop the suspect from fleeing,” Campbell said.
The injured officer, who was alone at the time, went to a nearby residence to call for help. He was taken to hospital and was released shortly after.
RCMP found the police vehicle abandoned nearby. They found the man hiding in another residence and he was taken into custody without further incident.
The man is facing several charges, including:
Assault on a police officer causing bodily harm
Attempting to disarm a police officer
Theft of a vehicle
Flight from police
Resisting arrest
The man was also wanted on four outstanding warrants, including domestic assault, domestic assault with a weapon, break and enter and uttering threats.
