Three days after a count of manslaughter he had been facing was stayed, an RCMP officer was absolutely discharged Monday on a count of assault stemming from another matter in Prince George.
Cst. Paul Ste-Marie had been facing the count stemming from a high-profile takedown on Aug. 22, 2022. The BC Prosecution Service approved the charge a year later.
The discharge was issued during a hearing in Vancouver provincial court, according to court records. A reason for the decision was not immediately available.
Sentencing remains pending for Zakaria Benjamin Athaya and Dilmeet Singh Chahal.
They were among three people arrested in the area of Fourth Avenue and Winnipeg Street after an attempt to pull over a suspicious vehicle led to two police vehicles being rammed.
The three attempted to flee on foot after their vehicle was boxed in but were soon arrested. Shots were fired by police during the encounter but no injuries were reported.
Athaya and Chahal were subsequently charged with a count of resisting arrest and two firearms-related counts, according to court records. Chahal has also been charged with dangerous driving and fleeing police.
In February 2023, a notice of civil claim was filed in B.C. Supreme Court on behalf of Chahal alleging mistreatment at the hands of the arresting officers. The matter remains before the court.
Ste-Marie was also one of two Prince George RCMP officers who had been facing a count of manslaughter stemming from the July 2017 death of Dale Culver. On Friday the count was stayed.
