Charges approved against man accused of ramming B.C. RCMP cruiser, injuring Mountie
Charges have been approved against a man accused of ramming his SUV into a police cruiser and injuring an officer at an RCMP detachment on Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
The man was shot by a Mountie in the parking lot of the North Cowichan-Duncan detachment and rushed to hospital, as was the injured officer. Both sustained non-life-threatening injuries and the officer has since been released from hospital, according to Island District RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé.
Lunden Taylor Howard, born in 1994, is charged with assaulting a police officer with a weapon in connection with the incident at the police station on Canada Avenue in Duncan.
Howard is also charged with assault by choking and breach of recognizance in Esquimalt earlier that day.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) is still investigating what Insp. Chris Bear of the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP called "a very disturbing incident" at the police station.
Witness video taken from an apartment building beside the station shows a man in a grey hooded sweatshirt standing next to a dark-coloured SUV that has crashed head-on into an RCMP cruiser, forcing the police vehicle into a ditch.
Two uniformed RCMP officers approach the man who appears to be accessing the rear passenger seat of the SUV.
One officer can be seen drawing his weapon as the man turns toward him. A single gunshot is heard and the man falls backward onto the ground.
"The main issue for us will be whether or not the officer who shot the civilian had reasonable, probable grounds to believe that there was a risk of grievous bodily harm or death to him or another individual," Ronald J. MacDonald, the IIO's chief civilian director, told CTV News after launching the investigation.
A man is accused of ramming his SUV into a police cruiser and injuring an officer before he was shot at an RCMP detachment on Vancouver Island on May 12, 2023. (CTV News)
It was the second police shooting in Duncan in just over six weeks after an RCMP officer shot a man who was driving a piece of heavy construction equipment through a residential neighbourhood at night.
Police said they received a report of an intoxicated man on a skid-steer loader around 9:15 p.m. on March 28. A slow chase ensued and the skid-steer collided with police vehicles before officers opened fire on the man, striking him twice in the head.
The man survived and is still recovering from serious injuries. The IIO is still investigating the incident.
"Across Canada, this has been an exceptionally difficult year for policing, with several officers killed in the line of duty," Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s minister of public safety and solicitor general, said in a statement Monday recognizing National Police Week.
"In our largest cities and smallest towns, in remote villages and Indigenous communities, we rely on police officers to prevent crime and violence, and protect people. Every day they selflessly and courageously uphold public safety, putting their lives at risk so the rest of us can live in peace and safety."
A date for Howard's first court appearance has not yet been set, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed Thursday in Nepean dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.