Metro Vancouver woman allegedly pepper sprays police officer during traffic stop

Jun 9 2020, 4:44 pm

A 26-year-old Maple Ridge woman was arrested after reportedly pepper-spraying a police officer during a traffic stop on Highway 1, near Revelstoke, this past weekend.

According to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, the incident took place on Sunday, just after 9:30 am, when an officer with the Revelstoke RCMP detachment stopped a vehicle for a violation of the for a Motor Vehicle Act, approximately 20 km east of the city.

“During the course of what started as a routine traffic stop, the driver deployed pepper spray at the police officer, while officer interacted with the woman at her driver’s side window,” said O’Donaghey.

And while the officer was dealing with the “temporarily disabling effects of the pepper spray, a male passenger exited the vehicle and the suspect fled the area eastbound along the highway,” he added.

The officer was treated at the scene by BC Emergency Health Services for non-life threatening injuries.

“Despite being injured, the officer determined that the male passenger was not associated to the suspect, instead he had been hitchhiking when he was picked up by the woman,” said O’Donaghey.

RCMP located the suspect vehicle a few kilometres from the scene, and the woman – who police found inside a utility trailer – “was emotionally distraught, uncooperative, and failed to comply with police commands.”

O’Donaghey said she was eventually physically taken into police custody unharmed.

A subsequent search of the suspect vehicle located a loaded crossbow, pepper spray, and a knife.

Now, the woman – who police did not identify by name – remains in custody and faces a number of potential criminal charges. The investigation remains ongoing and police are seeking additional witnesses.

Anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact Revelstoke RCMP at 250-837-5255.

Eric ZimmerEric Zimmer

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