Man jailed over incident at bank

Mental health issues cited for attempt to take officer’s gun and kill himself

A tense situation unfolded at a Regina bank in February when a man suffering from a mental health problem tried to take a police officer’s gun.

Ivar Uguh (also known as Erik Scott) pleaded guilty at Regina provincial court on Friday to one count of attempting to take a firearm from a police officer.

After listening to details of the case, Judge Marylynne Beaton agreed to impose the nine-month jail sentence jointly proposed by Crown prosecutor Shannon Williams and defence lawyer Dave Armstrong.

After receiving credit for the time he spent on remand, Uguh was left with close to six months to serve.

Williams told the court the incident took place at a bank on McCarthy Boulevard over the noon hour on Feb. 23.

Court heard police received a call about a suicidal male trying to get money from a senior.

The first police officer to arrive landed in a tense situation when the suspect — 31-year-old Uguh — fought him.

During the struggle, Uguh managed to grab the grip of the officer’s holstered gun and tried to disarm him while yelling, “I’m going to shoot myself in the head.”

Williams said the gun was not ultimately pulled free of the holster before police got him under control and under arrest.

Court heard Uguh has a history of being combative with police.

He also, according to defence lawyer Dave Armstrong, has a history of mental illness.

Armstrong said his client had been stable for some time but, in December, stopped taking his medication and started using illegal drugs instead.

Armstrong said on the date of the incident, Uguh had been at the bank with his mother, who was the older woman from whom bank staff saw him demanding money. Armstrong said Uguh was threatening to kill himself if he didn’t get cash, leading to the call to 911.

Armstrong said his client needs to get back in touch with his mental health workers and stop using non-prescription drugs.

Beaton told Uguh jail is necessary, both to protect the public and to stabilize him prior to his release in a few months.

Once he’s released, Uguh will be placed on probation for 18 months, with conditions.

They include that he attend assessments and treatment for mental health, personal counselling and addictions; see a doctor, psychologist and/or psychiatrist as directed; not possess weapons, including a knife except when eating; and not attend the bank where the incident occurred.