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EDMONTON -- Two rookie Mounties - both hospitalized with broken facial bones - were swarmed with brass knuckles and had a Taser wrangled away from them after responding to a call inside a northern Alberta home.
“The skills and experiences those members likely have exceed the skills and experiences more senior members at less busy detachments will possess,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes, said Monday.
The female constable, with one year of service, was air-lifted from Peace River to an Edmonton hospital after the 3:20 a.m. Sunday attack in Cadotte Lake left her with broken facial bones and other non-life-threatening injuries.
Her partner, a constable with two years service, was treated in Peace River for a broken nose and other assault-type injuries.
The pair from the Peace River detachment were invited by the homeowner into the Cadotte Lake residence, about 90 km northeast of Peace River, after multiple 911 calls about a man fighting with other occupants at the house.
The officers upon arrival identified the man as Patrick Ramsey Carifelle, 30, wanted on outstanding warrants for obstructing a peace officer.
When the pair tried to arrest the man, three of up to 20 people inside the house attacked, swarming the pair, who were punched and kicked repeatedly.
“As a part of the inherent danger of policing, you never know when a circumstance is going to go into a very bad mode,” said Oakes.
The officers called for backup, used pepper spray and deployed a Taser in an attempt to diffuse the situation, said Oakes.
But they were overwhelmed and assailed with brass knuckles, a prohibited weapon, before one of the assailants got hold of the Taser. It was later recovered by investigators.
Other attempts were made by the assailants to remove the officers¹ pistols.
“Fortunately these efforts were not successful,” said Oakes.
The pair finally extricated themselves from the swarming crowd and backup arrived from detachments in Peace River, Red Earth Creek, and High Prairie.
High Prairie Police Dog Services also responded.
The injured officers were taken by ground ambulance for treatment in Peace River before the female officer was transported to hospital in Edmonton.
“It will be awhile before (the officers) will be back to full, interactive front-line policing duties,” said Oakes.
A review of the case is underway, as is standard in such situations, to determine whether some other level of response could have been exercised.
Oakes said the officers are part of the very busy Peace River detachment.
“The officers are definitely are accustomed to policing in that area,” said Oakes, adding it is unreasonable to deploy a full-blown emergency response team to every 911 call.
“That is not a reality for a lot different reasons,” said Oakes.
Three men, including Carifelle and Keith Roland Carifelle, 22, were arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm, disarming a peace officer, attempt to disarm a peace officer, two counts of choking to overcome and theft under $5,000.
Clinton Miles Carifelle, 19, was also charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and use of a weapon in the commission of an offence.
All are from Cadotte Lake and are to appear in Peace River court April 12.