A man who swung a chain and struck an Abbotsford Police officer last night (Saturday) barricaded himself in his home and didn’t surrender until about five hours later.
The 60-year-old man was taken into custody, and police are recommending he be charged with two counts of assault, said Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald.
Police were called to the home in the 2000 block of Meadows Street – north of Marshall Road and east of Clearbrook Road – at about 5:45 p.m. for a report of an assault. The home is believed to be a boarding house.
MacDonald said the man had allegedly thrown something at a 64-year-old woman in the residence, striking her face and resulting in a cut extending from her nose to her eyelid.
Three officers arrived on the scene and attempted to talk to the man, who was in a room in the residence. The man grabbed a five-foot length of chain, swung it and hit one of the officers in the shoulder and back as he turned away.
The man then shut himself in the room.
MacDonald said the officers, not knowing what weapons the suspect might have or what he might do next, decided to keep him isolated.
They cleared the home of the other three occupants, including the injured woman, and called for backup from the Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team (MIERT), which arrived at about 8 p.m.
Officers negotiated with the man for about three hours before he surrendered. MacDonald said he could not find anything in the incident report about the suspect wielding a knife while he was barricaded, as was reported in the media at the time of the standoff.
He said three factors can be credited for the man’s peaceful surrender: the presence of MIERT, the ongoing negotiations, and the use of a “flashbang” or stun grenade, which produces a loud bang but causes no damage.
“It can have the net effect of startling a person … It got his attention and got him to surrender,” MacDonald said.
He said the man has had “some negative contact with police” in the past, although he could not elaborate. He said this latest incident did not involve alcohol.
MacDonald said both the woman and officer who were assaulted were treated in hospital for minor injuries and released. The officer was the same one who earlier this week witnessed a 12-year-old boy get struck by a garbage truck as he had the right of way in a crosswalk at the corner of Bevan Road and Ware Street. The boy is now recovering in hospital from serious injuries to his lower body.
“He’s had a rough week,” MacDonald said of the officer.
