VANCOUVER – A man went into medical distress after being Tasered by Mounties in B.C.'s Shuswap region this week, prompting an investigation by the province's police watchdog.
Authorities said the incident began when Kelowna RCMP received a report of an "erratic driver" on Highway 97 at around 1:30 a.m. Officers made at least two attempts to pull over a suspect vehicle before finally managing to stop the driver outside Malakwa, a small settlement located just north of Sicamous.
"When officers attempted to take the man into custody, he allegedly resisted," the force said in a news release. "Officers deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) and the man was handcuffed but then went into medical distress."
Paramedics took the 38-year-old man to hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
The RCMP notified the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., which is tasked with determining whether police actions or inactions contributed to the man's injuries.
Meanwhile, Mounties launched their own criminal investigation into the events that led-up to the man being Tasered. The RCMP said one point, the suspect driver "narrowly (missed) a police officer" while trying to flee.
Two police vehicles were damaged during the incident, according to law enforcement, though no information has been provided about the extent or cause of the damage.
The RCMP said it won't provide any further details while the matter is under investigation by the IIO.
