VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Royal Canadian Mounted Police were justified in using a Taser stun gun on an 11-year-old British Columbia boy holding them at bay, a police inquiry ruled.
Mounties were called to a home in Prince George in central British Columbia April 7, where the caller said the boy had stabbed an adult, The (Vancouver) Province reported.
The youth, who can't be identified, has a history of aggression and violence. He kept police at bay for more than 40 minutes before the decision was made to deploy the stun gun. Negotiations were hampered by the boy's hearing impairment and the fact he wasn't wearing his hearing aids, the report said.
The RCMP called on West Vancouver Police Chief Pete Lepine to investigate the incident independently. Monday, Lepine issued a statement vindicating the officers' use of a Taser.
"Despite the understandable public reaction of shock, I not only deem the officers' actions to be appropriate to the situation, I deem them commendable for their commitment to devising and carrying out a rational plan to resolve a potentially deadly situation," Lepine wrote.
The boy was hospitalized overnight for observation, but was otherwise uninjured. His adult stabbing victim was treated and released, the report said.
