On Friday, May 1, 2020, the Regina Police Service has deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) commonly known as a Taser, in taking a male into custody for his own safety. This advisory is being issued in keeping with a commitment to notify the public each time a CEW is deployed against a person.
This incident began at approximately 2:35 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020, when police were dispatched to the North Argyle Street overpass over the Ring Road. There was a male on the overpass who was intoxicated by drugs and threatening to harm himself. He had climbed on top of a chain link safety barrier running the length of the west side of the overpass. Police closed the Ring Road and Argyle Street to all traffic and requested additional resources, including crisis negotiators, canine and SWAT members to the scene. Continued attempts to negotiate the male to safety were eventually successful to the point that he made his way to the end of the
overpass and off the fence. The male then resisted police attempts to apprehend him and tried a number of times to flee. At that point, the CEW was deployed and the male was taken into custody to ensure his safety. He was taken to hospital for assessment.
The use of the CEW will be fully documented and will be subject to review by an internal Use of Force committee. All uses of force are also reported to the Saskatchewan Police Commission, which is an oversight body, independent of the Regina Police Service.
This incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 777-6500 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.