A Prince George RCMP officer will go before the courts in October.

Const. Chad Fitzpatrick is facing one count of assault with a weapon stemming from a two-year old incident.

On Nov. 17, 2010, Fitzpatrick responded to a call of a violent male with a knife and deployed a conducted energy weapon - Taser - during the arrest of the suspect. No injuries were sustained by either the suspect or the police.

"As police officers there are times when we will have to use varying levels of force to carry out our duties," said officer in charge of the Prince George detachment Supt. Eric Stubbs.

According to the RCMP operational manual, Tasers can be used when "a subject is causing bodily harm, or the member believes on reasonable grounds, that the subject will imminently cause bodily harm."

Their use should be limited to after attempting other de-escalation techniques and issuing a verbal warning is given.

"We are accountable for those actions, and ultimately it will now be up to a court to hear the circumstances of this incident and determine if the level of force used was appropriate," Stubbs said.

Fitzpatrick is currently assigned to administrative duties and will appear in Prince George Provincial Court on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.

In an unrelated case last year, the West Vancouver Police Department were called in as independent investigators after a standoff between Prince George RCMP and an 11-year-old boy resulted in the young suspect being Tasered. No charges were recommended against those involved at the conclusion of the review.