Atholville, CAN - Suspect Steals RCMP Police Car - Officer Shoots Suspect Twice - Crashed - Tasered

ATHOLVILLE - Armed with a knife, high on something and behind the wheel of a stolen police car, an agitated man was wounded twice by police gunfire and tasered during a bizarre chase Friday.

At 2:30 p.m., police received a call that a disturbed man was threatening customers in a Canadian Tire store.

"He certainly appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance," RCMP Sgt. Derek Strong said in an interview.

When a customer picked up a pipe and tried to subdue the man, he was stabbed in the hand and slightly injured, police said. As the suspect emerged from the store, he was confronted by an RCMP officer. The man refused to put down the weapon and advanced toward the Mountie and his car. The officer opened fire, shooting the man in the upper arm.

"This failed to bring the man under control," Strong said.

The wounded man jumped in the cruiser and the Mountie fired another round, this time grazing his hip. The car sped off, heading toward Campbellton. With police in pursuit, the man lost control of the cruiser, hit a ditch and fled on foot. He was eventually cornered by three officers.

"He refused to obey all lawful commands," Strong said.

The RCMP spokesman confirmed the man was tasered twice and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"We're still trying to piece together what happened in the Canadian Tire store," Strong said.
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