A police officer who tried to ensure a member of the public’s safety was assaulted on the Sea to Sky Highway yesterday.

Squamish RCMP Staff Sargent Jolaine Percival says a Sea to Sky Traffic officer stopped when he saw a man hitchhiking northbound on Highway 99 near Porteau Cove, shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

When the officer stopped the man, he noticed that the male was extremely intoxicated and it was unsafe for him to be on the highway. Percival says that the RCMP member attempted to arrest the man and “at that time that individual became physically violent with the police officer”. A scuffle ensued and “as a result the police officer got pushed, and actually landed on something sharp on his leg and ended up loosing a substantial amount of blood” says Percival. The officer was taken to hospital for treatment.

The intoxicated man fled the scene via the railway tracks. Police dogs were called in to track down the suspect who was, after a short time located and arrested. The injured police officer was released from hospital last night.

There are laws on hitchhiking, but not all are strictly enforced. Police try to make sure it is safe for the public, as sometimes it can be unsafe when motorists pull over and try and pick-up people. Percival says “In this case it’s a bad recipe for having somebody that’s extremely intoxicated and can wonder into traffic”.

 

Photo Credit: Bull-Doser / Wikimedia.org

Filed under: Hitchhiker, Police, RCMP, Sea to Sky, Squamish