Two Victoria police officers were attacked last week during separate mental health calls.
During the incidents, one officer sustained bite injuries and another was punched and kicked in the face.
The first incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, November 12th.
Police said officers were responding to a 911 call reporting that a person came home to find blood on the ground, walls and doorway, and that their partner was screaming inside.
When officers arrived, police said they found the woman (partner) on top of a vehicle, striking the hood while covered in a significant amount of blood.
The woman then took off running down the street screaming and officers determined she was suffering from a mental health crisis.
When officers attempted to apprehend the woman, she fought with police and bit an officer’s finger and refused to release the bite on the officer.
Other officers used a Taser to subdue the woman and transported her to hospital for a mental health assessment and treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The officer was also taken to hospital for treatment of their serious bite wound.
The second incident occurred on Tuesday, November 16th at an Esquimalt grocery store located in the 800-block of Viewfield Road.
According to police, an unknown man had entered a walk-in freezer at the grocery store and refused to leave.
The temperature in the freezer was -25 degrees Celsius causing concern for the man’s well-being.
Officers spoke with the man, who agreed to leave the freezer. As officers were leaving the store with the man, he suddenly punched an officer in the face.
Police said a struggle ensued and the man then kicked the same officer in the face. After a continued struggle officers were able to take the man into custody.
He was transported to hospital for a mental health assessment. The officer who was punched and kicked also suffered a shoulder injury and was unable to complete his shift. He remains off-duty.
“After a continued struggle officers were able to take the man into custody,” police said in a media release.
The man was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.
The officer who was punched and kicked suffered a shoulder injury and remains off-duty.
