Police Employ TASER Device on Woman Wielding Knife

Police were called to Sophia Street in Barrie, Ontario when reports came in that a 42-year-old woman was seen swinging a knife on a strap as she walked down the street.

Witnesses saw the woman walking up the street with a dagger around 10-inches long with a five-inch blade. Continuing to walk, even though officers were approaching her, she made her way to a property across the road while officers drew their weapons on her.

Staying around five meters from the woman, police hung back while the woman continued to swing the weapon as another group of officers showed up.

A police TASER device was employed on the woman which quickly saw her fall to the ground. When officers had her handcuffed they searched her where they located a bag containing rocks and a second bag containing numerous knives and chisels.

The 42-year-old woman was then taken into police custody under the Mental Health Act. She was also taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for an assessment.

According to a police report, before the employment of the self defense device, the woman had dragged the knife down the side of a police cruiser and that without the assistance from the stunning device the situation could have had a tragic ending.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for officers to have TASER weapons as part of their personal equipment. With the known advantages of employing these tools for police and public safety there are numerous police departments that are turning their attention to them.

After all, a device that can protect members of the public and officers in their line of duty while apprehending a suspect with no harm involved is certainly a device worth considering for increased protection.

When it comes to apprehending a suspect that is wielding a knife in public, it is important that officers have a device on hand that they can rely on that will bring about a speedy result with minimal fuss involved. Even though a firearm could have been utilized in this situation, who’s to say that others wouldn’t have also been injured in the process?

Officers need to assess the situation at hand which will help them to determine what device they should use. However, while this is the case, many choose to use a TASER device, knowing that it won’t harm those involved.

After all, it still achieves the same results of apprehending a suspect that is considered a threat to the public, but in a non-lethal manner.