Man in mental distress barricaded himself, prompting tactical response
Around noon on Oct. 20, members of the Western Valley Region RCMP responded to a call that a man was in mental distress in Johnville.
When officers arrived, the man refused to cooperate with the police and barricaded himself inside a garage.
Due to a possible threat of firearms, the New Brunswick RCMP’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team, West District Crime Reduction Unit, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Services (Drone), and Police Dog Services (PDS) all attended the call to assist.
After a lengthy period and multiple tactics, officers from ERT and PDS entered the residence and safely removed the man from the garage. The man suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Upper River Valley Hospital.
In a social media post about the incident, the RCMP said that officers respond to situations like these every day, noting that the New Brunswick RCMP “provides intensive crisis intervention and de-escalation training.”
“Officers undergo mandatory training to determine when and how to apply these techniques while minimizing risk to the individual, the public, and first responders,” reads the news release. “Across the province, the RCMP deploys a wide range of highly skilled specialized teams that protect New Brunswickers every day.”
