VANCOUVER -- A suspect allegedly managed to fire an RCMP officer's Taser after a traffic stop spiralled out of control in Surrey over the weekend.
Authorities said the incident began while two officers were speaking with a suspected impaired driver near 24 Avenue and 184 Street on Sunday night.
"The driver exited his vehicle and, as police detained him, he allegedly began fighting aggressively and attempted to remove the (officers') firearms from their holsters," the Surrey RCMP detachment said in a news release.
The suspect then allegedly grabbed one officer's Taser and discharged it "into his own leg and the officer's foot."
The officers called for backup from the Surrey and Langley detachments, and were ultimately able to arrest the driver – but they were both injured in the process. Const. Richard Wright said the arrest highlights the challenges officers can face on the job.
"This incident serves as an example of how quickly a situation can change for police, especially when a suspected intoxicated individual is involved," Wright said.
Both officers were treated in hospital and released.
The suspect, a 41-year-old Surrey resident, was taken to hospital for an evaluation. He has since been charged with a slew of counts, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, assault with intent to resist arrest, disarming a peace officer, impaired operation of a vehicle, and failure to provide a sample.
