The 47-year-old man accused of injuring two Surrey Mounties when he allegedly rammed his SUV into a parked police cruiser Monday has had a long-standing battle with mental illness, his girlfriend tells CTV News.
James Burton Weaver has been charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm for allegedly driving his Ford Explorer at high speed through the parking lot of the RCMP’s Newton district office Monday and plowing into a cruiser. That resulted in a Mountie being pinned between two cars while a female officer sitting in the parked car was also injured.
Police believe Weaver's actions were intentional.
"The male officer sustained a minor injury to his leg,” Said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Dale Carr. “The female officer was treated for soft tissue injuries, a haematoma to her left shoulder and torn rotator cuff. Both were released and have gone home."
Weaver was uninjured and swiftly arrested at the scene, appearing in Surrey provincial court this afternoon to answer to the charges.
“This has been building up for a while,” said Weaver’s girlfriend Kathy Labinsky. “I could see this coming. I was afraid of where it was going.”
Labinsky said the man suffers from depression, among other illnesses, and was supposed to be taking medication.
“He said that he was feeling good so he didn’t think he needed them, so he quit taking them and then you could see the instant decline,” she said. “He needs professional help, medication, probably some counselling.”
Weaver has previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance and assault, among other things, but Labinsky said he had cleaned up his act in recent years, even receiving an award for turning his life around.
Surrey RCMP said their investigation into the incident is ongoing and Weaver could face additional charges.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
