A 48-year-old Halifax man will appear in court to face charges today after police first used a stun gun on the suspect …, and then tackled him during an arrest.
Staff Sgt. Reid McCoombs says Halifax police responded to a call on Sunday evening alleging the suspect was threatening to shoot another man. He says when the suspect exited the building he was approaching officers and they fired a stun gun to subdue him.
McCoombs says the device wasn’t effective on ordinary stun, and as a result an officer changed the setting (see picture) to “fry” but that didn’t seem to work either, so eventually officers had to tackle the suspect.
He says the man was treated in hospital for minor injuries [sic] and was then taken to police headquarters.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/stun-gun-not-enough-to-subdue-suspect-in-halifax-arrest-1.1870555#ixzz34oP6lFdi
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Speaking about Cops: A former British Columbia RCMP officer has co-invented a marijuana breathalyzer he hopes will eventually be used to catch motorists who “drug and drive.”
Kal Malhi worked in the drug enforcement division for four of his 10-year RCMP career. Malhi says many drivers in Canada are not afraid to get behind the wheel when they’ve been using marijuana because they don’t believe they will get caught.
“People are becoming very afraid to drink and drive nowadays because they feel that they will get caught and charged, but they’re not afraid to drug and drive because they don’t feel that law enforcement will do anything about it,” Malhi told CTV Vancouver on Sunday
Dubbed the Cannabix Breathalyzer, Malhi’s device works in a similar way to a traditional breath analyzer police officers use to test drivers suspected of operating a vehicle while inebriated. The device, which is pending a patent and still has to undergo further field testing, could potentially detect if cannabis was use within the previous two hours.
“As engineers, we’re always trying to make the world a little bit better,” co-inventor and Vancouver-based radiologist Dr. Raj Attariwala told CTV.
He says that as a medical doctor, the “biggest wrecks that come through (a) hospital” are usually a result of impaired driving.
According to a 2011 study published in the B.C. Medical Journal, there is “clear evidence that cannabis, like alcohol, impairs the psychomotor skills required for safe driving. Cannabis intoxication slows reaction time and impairs automated tasks such as tracking ability (staying within a lane) or monitoring the speedometer.”
Currently, police officers in Canada rely on sobriety tests to catch cannabis-impaired drivers. Penalties for driving while impaired on drugs are often the same as those for driving with a blood alcohol level over 0.08. They include fines of $1,000 or more, a one-year licence suspension, and the possibility of a criminal record.
To criminally prosecute a pot-impaired driver, blood tests or mouth swabs are usually required. But because it is difficult to prove a motorist has been driving under the haze of marijuana, the penalty for suspected cannabis-impaired driving in B.C. is usually a 24-hour roadside suspension.
Malhi said he hopes to be able to present his marijuana breathalyzer to the minister of justice and the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority within the next 18 months.
He said he hopes the device will also be used in workplaces where drug testing is conducted. (With files from CTV Vancouver’s Tom Popyk)
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ex-rcmp-officer-co-invents-marijuana-breathalyzer-1.1870377#ixzz34oRe7H8i
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The grandmother of a 3-year-old girl who was viciously attacked by three dogs says she was asked to leave a KFC in Jackson, Miss., by an employee who said the girl’s scars were scaring other customers.“They just told us, ‘We have to ask you to leave because her face is disrupting our customers,’” Kelly Mullins, Victoria Wilcher’s grandmother, told WAPT-TV. “She understood exactly what they said.”
Mullins said she was driving her granddaughter home from the hospital in early June when they stopped at KFC for mashed potatoes.The dog attack, Mullins explained, has made it difficult for her granddaughter to swallow.
“The right side of her face is paralyzed,” Mullins said. “She’s got a lot of surgeries to go through and she won’t even look in the mirror anymore. When we go to a store, she doesn’t even want to get out [of the car]. She’s 3 years old and she’s embarrassed about what she looks like.”
The incident, Mullins said, left the girl in tears.
“No matter what’s wrong with a person, if a person’s different, if a person’s scarred, or is a different color or anything, people shouldn’t be discriminated against,” Mullins continued. “Her being 3 years old and already being discriminated against, it makes me mad, because I know for the rest of her life it’s going to be like that.”
KFC said it is investigating the incident.
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One good thing about the Scottish vote for independence this fall, if they do separate, it won’t take long to show people in Quebec what a bad idea this whole Nationalism thing is!
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Newfoundland Report! Major crime ring busted, folks!
A woman faces theft charges after officials say she stuffed seven frozen lobster tails in her pants and walked out of a supermarket without paying for them.
He says she walked around the store before leaving.
Police found her about an hour later.
Reed told them she went to the store with the intention of stealing the lobster tails, which were valued at $83.99.
According to a police report, she said she planned to trade the lobster with a friend to get either a Chinese buffet or the prescription pain medication Dilaudid.
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Extra, extra, more than a few rotten tomatoes are stewing on an Arizona highway.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a trailer hauling a load of tomatoes overturned this morning on Interstate 8, about 50 miles east of Yuma.
DPS says the incident occurred shortly after 3:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes.
Officials are now calling it the “3:10 to Yuma!”
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Alberta Report
Authorities in northwestern Alberta say a woman who tried to rescue a cat from a tree ended up needing a rescue herself.
Residents tell the Times-News (http://bit.ly/1n0EhjJ) that they’ve heard the feline crying for the past couple of days. It’s not clear who owns the cat.Dennis says she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. So, she scaled a fence, got on a roof and climbed onto a branch.
She reached the animal, which she put in her shirt.But the 21-year-old got stuck as she tried to come down.
A neighbour called 911.
Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Carroll says firefighters first carried down the cat, then helped Dennis.
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One thing for sure, kids, they won’t be getting their pants caught in the chain!
Hundreds of cyclists strapped on their sneakers, helmets and nothing much else for the World Naked Bike Ride’s 10th anniversary in Toronto over the weekend. The event’s dress code is “as bare as you dare”. While most were completely naked, organisers say they encourage people to wear as much, or as little clothing as they choose, to foster an atmosphere of fun, solidarity and mutual respect, Xinhua reported. The ride, which brought out close to 200 cyclists for the 14km trek this year in downtown Toronto, is a protest against car and oil dependency. Co-organiser Gene Dare, who’s been a part of the movement for the last six years, believes it’s a foolproof way to get people to stop and listen to what they have to say. “This is the shock value. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) uses it for the treatment of animals, feminists use it in Ukraine and in Europe to bring a message to go topless and they do a protest,” he said. “When you’re naked, people notice, traffic stops and nobody complains.” The event first started in Vancouver back in 2003 as a peaceful, anti-war movement, which then transformed into a ride to raise awareness for cyclists and to protest against the oil-dependent society. “I just want to tell people, be careful with oil consumption, there’s other alternative energy to be used, electric cars, electric bikes, solar, it’s pretty much unlimited ’cause people keep focusing on oil still,” said Dare. “One day it’ll all disappear.” Though nowadays, Dare says the bike ride has pretty much become a platform for people to protest about whatever they choose.
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MEANWHILE: Vancouverites took to the streets without their cars in four neighbourhoods on Sunday.
Commercial Drive, site of Vancouver’s first Car-Free Day 10 years ago, was joined again for 2014 by Main Street, Denman Street and the Kitsilano area as the celebration of all things non-auto continued to grow in popularity.
The all-ages crowd on Commercial brought bikes and scooters, roller blades and roller skates, and enjoyed music, street performers and the bubble-blowing appeal of BubblesMakeHimSmile.com
“Bubbles make you famous, man,” said Christina Forsyth as she fired off double bubble guns to the delight of the younger set.
Teachers Eric Bergeron and George March cycled in from New Westminster on the Central Valley Greenway.
“It was raining, but the Greenway is under SkyTrain, so you don’t get too wet,” said March. “It’s a good alternative to a car. You see more.”
Added Bergeron: “It’s a nice way to get around and get a good workout.”
Roger Lenzi of The Dime Roadhouse was heartily hawking homemade sausages at one of the many food stalls lining The Drive.
“Car-Free Day lets people learn more about Commercial Drive,” said Lenzi. “They learn about the old places like us, and learn about the new places that are going up.
“There are 300 businesses down here.”
UBC graduate student Monica Brown said getting people out of their cars makes them more open and friendly.
“This is a good thing.” she said. “It’s been fun to run into a lot of people.
“It’s a matter of people connecting directly rather than driving around in our own separate cars,” said Brown, astride a well-used but trendy cycle. “I like getting around here by bike.”
Though parking near the drive was tight, in theory many of the Car-Free Day attendees left their cars at home.
Bike racks along the drive were full, and the posters advertising the event issued a new-age warning to those who didn’t seek out alternate methods of attending.
“Cycle, Walk or Take Transit,” declared the ads for the 10th annual Commercial Drive event.
“Don’t Drive — Bad Karma!”
The Drive had two reasons to celebrate — Car-Free Day and an abundance of World Cup soccer fans, many sporting their national team’s jerseys.
Shoppers could stop at kiosks devoted to soccer paraphernalia, while the Kidzone had ongoing soccer tournaments for the young ones.
The noon-hour gloom lifted by early afternoon, and all four Vancouver locations were bathed in sunlight before long, making for jovial crowds no longer needing vehicles for shelter from the showers.
iaustin@theprovince.com
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Vancouver+goes+free+with+gallery/9941819/story.html
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And Finally: Heart does Zep!
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