Homeless man is tasered in Red Deer, Alberta

October, 30 2007
630 CHED

It was an electrifying morning in Red Deer for a drugged-up homeless man. RCMP say, around 11:00 AM, they were called to deal with a "distressed" man, armed with a knife at the "old train bridge". Officers found a 32-year-old man at the scene, who fit the description, and who took off on foot. He soon stopped running and, according to police, he told them he had a knife and also threatened to shoot himself. Police say the suspect, then, reached towards the waist-band area of his trousers. That move prompted the "responding members" to deploy a Taser. After an unreported number of electric zaps, the man was taken into police custody and then taken to hospital for observation. Police say he was using drugs prior to his arrest. They also say the man has several outstanding warrants from several communities in Alberta. No new charges have been laid, at this point. The man's name has not been released.