B.C.'s civilian-based police watchdog has cleared a Prince George RCMP officer of criminal wrongdoing over a decision to deploy a service dog in an arrest of a man who pointed a shotgun during a road rage incident.
The outcome, issued Monday by Independent Investigations Office director Ron MacDonald, stems from an Oct. 6, 2021 confrontation that began when a motorist called 911 to say another driver pulled out, cocked and pointed a firearm at him during a dispute.
The caller stayed in his vehicle but followed the suspect to a property where the suspect got out of his truck unarmed and walked down a driveway to an outbuilding located a few metres from the house.
Two RCMP officers were first on the scene with one pulling up to the scene as the suspect was walking along the driveway. Both officers drew their guns as they got out of their vehicles. The suspect, in turn, kept going, issuing an expletive to the officers.
Two other people were inside the building and, according to MacDonald's summary, the suspect told them that police were there and that "this was going to get ugly."
By about that time, four RCMP were on the scene. The suspect was heard demanding the officers to get a search warrant but then walked outside the building. Officers' guns pointed at him, he was told he was under arrest but remained confrontational and would not comply with police demands.
He did not get on the ground as ordered and instead said "come on, guys." At that point, an RCMP dog handler released his dog, which bit the suspect on the right arm and took him to the ground.
The suspect provided a different account, saying he was approached from behind, that the dog was "ripping my arm apart" and that he was kicked in the head and smashed in the ribs. He said he felt a knee on his back and the dogs was not released until both handcuffs were on him.
The suspect was taken to hospital where he was treated for multiple dog bites and released back into RCMP custody. But the injuries did not heal properly and surgery was required.
The suspect also claimed officers deleted a video of the incident from his phone but an independent forensic expert found no evidence to support the allegation.
Under the circumstances, RCMP acted lawfully, MacDonald concluded.
He said the suspect had been given "many opportunities to comply with officers' demands" and once he was outside the building it was important for officers to quickly bring him under control and "prevent him from returning back to a building with unknown individuals and the potential for other weapons."
MacDonald noted that according to B.C. Policing Standards, "police dog bites must be minimized as much as reasonably possible and must be proportional to the risk posted to the handler and others." On that note, MacDonald found that the injuries were initially minimal and the complications that later arose and required surgery were unfortunate.
The suspect's name was not provided in the report but the date and circumstances match those of an incident involving Donald James Chromick. In May 2022, he was sentenced to a 60-day conditional sentence order, followed by 18 months probation and issued a three-year firearms prohibition on a count of uttering threats.
