Man with knife talked down at police station

Man had threatened harm to himself in mental health incident that tops a list which has been ‘up 20 per cent’ during pandemic

Medicine Hat police have seen an increase in mental health calls in the past couple weeks, and had to deal with one situation in their own building Monday.

Around 7:10 a.m., a man came to the front counter of the Medicine Hat Police Service at 884 Second St. SE and revealed a small hunting knife.

“We had a distraught male come in to the front office, very distraught about some recent events and potentially high on an unknown substance,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Thorburn, who was among several officers who responded and talked the man down. “He was threatening harm to himself, and in relation to that we dealt with it how we always would, made sure that person was taken for a mental health assessment.”

No one was injured during the incident and the male was taken to the hospital.

Thorburn said mental health calls to the police between March 30 and April 5 were “up 20 per cent,” likely owing to stresses surrounding the global pandemic response.

“It’s frustrating, the situation’s frustrating, everyone having to stay so close to home and being confined with their families in most cases,” he said. “The jobs, the financial, everything.”

The police service reminds the public that there are many avenues to getting mental health help, including but not limited to the provincial mental health help line at 1-877-303-2642, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There’s also an addictions line, 1-866332-2322 and 811 for general health questions.

Stolen vehicle hits cruiser

Around 6:20 a.m. Monday, a stolen truck rammed a city police cruiser in a getaway.

Officers were responding to a call that a white Ford F250 had been stolen from a residence on Woodman Avenue. They found the truck being driven away and had it cornered in a cul-de-sac before the driver hit the gas and rammed a police car, “causing considerable damage” according to an MHPS press release.

Thorburn said the vehicle was later recovered in a ditch along the Trans-Canada Highway east of Dunmore. The suspect was not found as of Monday afternoon.

“People have to be vigilant, especially when starting their vehicles in the morning,” he said. “People are still out there, and we are still dealing with the same group of people who are on the street at this time of year, they’re still out there.”