RCMP greeted with sword during evening drug raid
Officer, suspect injured during arrest after apartment door opened
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, August 7, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A sword was thrust through an apartment door Tuesday night as RCMP officers attempted to enter the unit to carry out a drug-related search warrant, police say.
A police officer appears in tactical gear on the balcony deck of a second floor apartment in the Lanky Court apartment complex during a raid Tuesday evening. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo |
The door to the Lanky Court apartment unit was fortified with extra locks, said RCMP Const. Elenore Sturko on Thursday.
"As members worked to overcome the fortification, suspects inside the apartment thrust a sword through the door in what is believed to be an attempt to stab the officers," Sturko stated in a news release earlier in the day.
The officers weren't injured by the sword.
After the door was opened from the inside, an officer and one of the four males in the apartment were injured during the arrest. Three adults and one youth were arrested. Their identities have not been released.
According to police, the two who were injured were taken to Stanton Territorial Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries before being released.
Sturko declined to elaborate on the nature of the injuries, saying it is personal information.
"This kind of thing highlights the danger that (officers) face when doing that type of work," Sturko told Yellowknifer.
She said an external investigation into the suspect's injuries is not being considered.
A small quantity of marijuana and a sword were seized from the apartment. The search was not gang-related, Sturko said.
As of Thursday morning, the four were still in police custody and charges had not been laid. Sturko told Yellowknifer the investigation is ongoing and charges could follow depending on the outcome of the investigation.
The officers went to the large brown and white three-storey apartment building around 8:45 p.m.
Members of the RCMP emergency response team with rifles were still outside the building around 10:30 p.m. but left shortly after.
Residents of neighbouring units gathered along balconies and near the building to watch the police activity.
