A suspect has been arrested after attempting to disarm a police officer and threatening to shoot the officer with it in Nanaimo.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, the incident took place at approximately 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, in the area of Promenade Drive.
Police received reports of an incident at London Drugs, where a shoplifter threw cosmetics at a Loss Prevention Officer (LPO), while also threatening the LPO with bear spray.
The suspect reportedly fled on foot and was last seen heading towards the waterfront, where he was located by the Nanaimo RCMP officer — an officer with nine years of police service.
According to RCMP, the officer told the suspect he was under arrest, however, when there was an attempt to secure the suspect’s wrists, he began to fight back.
During the struggle, police say that the suspect grabbed at the officer’s holstered firearm and made “continued threats to shoot the officer with it.”
Amid the altercation, a civilian intervened and police say that it distracted the suspect long enough for another officer to arrive on scene.
The two police officers were able to subdue the 31-year-old man and place him in handcuffs.
The suspect, Brian Imhoff from Nanaimo, was arrested for Assaulting a Police Officer, Attempting to Disarm a Police Officer, and Uttering Threats. He is currently being held in police custody until January 18, 2022.
This was an extremely dangerous and volatile situation for the officer. It is also a stark reminder of the dangers that frontline officers are faced with. The officer involved is to be commended for staying in the battle, using their training and relying on their physical conditioning to successfully meet the challenge,
said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
The officer involved in the fight was not seriously injured and managed to carry out their duties for the remainder of the shift.
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