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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A mine worker is lucky to have survived a run-in with Yellowknife RCMP this past spring, according to lawyers in territorial court on Wednesday.

On April 5, police responded to a call from the Air Tindi floatplane base when a 29-year-old man who had just arrived from a mine site was acting irrationally.

"(The defendant) appeared confused and was talking about propane at the mine site," Crown prosecutor Mathew Johnson told Judge Robert Gorin.

When a police officer arrived, the defendant had left the base and was headed down the ice runway on Yellowknife Bay, causing the officer to chase him in a police vehicle. Getting closer, the Mountie then exited the vehicle on foot, but the suspect "turned to the officer, put his hand in his pocket and said he had a gun," said Johnson.

The police officer took cover behind his vehicle and repeatedly ordered the suspect to drop his weapon, Johnson said. Instead, the man quickly pulled his hand out of his pocket. The officer stated that he nearly pulled the trigger on the suspect when he realized that the man did not in fact have a firearm - he was brandishing his finger and thumb in the shape of a gun. The officer said he thinks the suspect honestly believed that he had a real weapon, and continued to threaten to shoot the officer, Johnson told the court.

Shortly thereafter, the suspect attacked the officer and the pair struggled on the runway for about four minutes. During this time, the officer's body armour was ripped from his upper body and the constable was struck in the head about six times. He suffered a concussion and a cut that required medical staples as a result of the altercation, said Johnson.

Eventually, more officers arrived and subdued the suspect, although he continued to resist officers at the police station, kicking one in the chest while exiting a police vehicle. Ultimately, he was placed in a restraint chair and put in a spit mask, said Johnson.

"(The defendant) was struck several times by officers in an effort to control him," he said.

On Aug. 14, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer, assault and resisting or obstructing a peace officer. While he was scheduled to be sentenced in court on Wednesday, both Johnson and defence lawyer Nikolaus Homberg asked for more time to have a psychiatric assessment completed to determine if the defendant can be held criminally responsible for his actions.

The man is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who had not taken his medication for several days prior to the incident, said Johnson.

Gorin consented, and the matter is next scheduled for an appearance in territorial court on Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m.

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