Charges have been approved against a 39-year-old man following a dramatic police incident that shut down a section of Highway 16 East near Prince George for several hours earlier this week.
Prince George RCMP say the incident began around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, when officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle near East Perry Road during a patrol. The driver allegedly fired a gun at police and fled the scene.
Police say a suspect was located a short time later, leading to a lengthy standoff during which gunfire was exchanged.
Tyler Cavan Suel of Prince George was eventually taken into custody and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
He was charged with multiple offences, including four counts of discharging a firearm with intent, pointing a firearm, careless use of a firearm, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon and flight from a peace officer.
"We are incredibly proud of the professional, coordinated and timely response our police officers had to this threatening and dynamic event," said Insp. Chris Riddle, operations officer with the Prince George RCMP. "Even in the face of being shot at, all of those who responded maintained their professionalism and saw the event through to a positive conclusion."
Suel remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing.
The RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit has taken over the investigation.
After the incident, the province's Independent Investigations Office (IIO) launched an investigation, completing it Friday. The IIO looks into situations where an encounter with police leads to injury or death.
"The chief civilian director has reviewed medical evidence collected by IIO investigators and determined that the man’s injuries do not meet the threshold for serious harm as defined by the Police Act," the IIO reported.
The IIO investigation is now concluded.
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