UPDATE: Clifford Adrian Montgomery, 59, of Delta has been identified as the man accused of assaulting a Delta police officer. Crown counsel has approved the four charges against him. Montgomery appeared in Surrey Provincial Court on July 31, and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Aug. 7.
Charges are pending for a man accused of assaulting a police officer with a switchblade in a seniors’ care home on Monday (July 30).
According to a Delta Police Department press release, staff at a seniors’ care home called the police before the arrival of a patient’s 60-year-old son, who was “agitated” after learning of his mother’s imminent passing.
DPD officers at the care home were speaking with the man when police say he allegedly cut an officer’s face in a “sudden and unprovoked” knife attack.
Police then backed away and showed the man a pistol and a conducted energy weapon (a device that uses electrical shock to incapacitate or induce pain) in an attempt to subdue him.
The injured officer continued to communicate with the man, and was eventually able to de-escalate the situation without force.
The man is now in custody, and charges are pending for assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of a prohibited weapon.
“Last night’s events were highly elevated and dangerous, but through appropriate de-escalation it was peacefully resolved,” deputy chief Norm Lipinski said in the press release. Delta police has trained all of its officers in integrated communications and tactics (ICAT) over the past year, which uses verbal communication to de-escalate situations with agitated and potentially violent people.
“We recognize that it is our duty to keep all members of the public safe, regardless of their actions, and this training served us well in this incident,” Lipinski said. “The ability to use various force options is a valuable tool for our officers and our investment into ICAT training is showing us returns.”
The injured officer is expected to make a full recovery.
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com
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