Man tasered after threatening RCMP

CASTANET June 8:

A taser had to be used to subdue a man who was threatening officers with a knife during an incident last week. Penticton RCMP are just now releasing the information about the incident which took place June 4 at the White Clinic Pharmacy on Ellis Street just after 11:30 p.m. Sergeant Rick Dellebuur, says RCMP responded to an alarm at the pharmacy and found a man placing items into a backpack. The man has been identified as 27-year-old Aaron Michael Hadden, a resident of Victoria who had arrived in Penticton earlier in the week. “Upon arrival, the RCMP member noted the exterior door pried open and the interior door to the pharmacy smashed. Backup arrived and four members attempted to get Hadden to comply with demands to drop the claw hammer he had in his hands,” says Dellebuur. He says Hadden refused to comply and instead, threw a flashlight at police. “Members continued to give commands for him to cease his actions to which he replied by throwing the hammer, which narrowly missed two members and hit and broke a heavy industrial plate glass window. He then began to take copious amounts of any type of medication while yelling, “I am not going back.” He next produced and held a large hunting knife with a 12 inch blade in his right hand.”

Dellebuur says Hadden then threw a telephone and a computer monitor at the officers. “One officer deflected both items with his arm. A member deployed OC (pepper) spray in an attempt to subdue Hadden, but the spray had no effect. Instead, brandishing the knife, he jumped the counter that he had been behind, coming closer towards the officers. As he closed the distance towards the members, one member deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon.” He says Hadden continued to strike out at members even after falling back from the CEW hit. “He was arrested and taken to Penticton Regional Hospital for treatment in regards to the drugs he had swallowed. He was then returned to Penticton RCMP cells. During the altercation, one RCMP member sustained a laceration to his arm that required eight stitches.”

Hadden has been charged with attempted robbery, break and enter, three counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of assaulting a peace officer.
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RCMP NEWS RELEASE

He has been remanded in custody for a 30 day assessment by Forensic Psychiatric Services.