St Paul RCMP have charged a man with multiple counts after the accused allegedly attacked a police officer and stole his RCMP vehicle on Saturday.
Cst. Allan Watt of the St Paul RCMP says on Saturday afternoon, officers were in the area of the Whitefish First Nation searching for a man wanted in connection with a domestic violence complaint.
At about 3:45 p.m., a St Paul RCMP officer pulled over a vehicle on Main Road in Whitefish Lake because police believed the suspect was a passenger inside the vehicle.
“When the constable attempted the arrest the suspect, the male attacked the lone member on the side of the road”, says Cst. Watt. The officer attempted to subdue the suspect, however, the man allegedly continued to fight the officer while trying to get inside the RCMP truck.
The officer was able to pull the suspect away from the truck and both men fell to the ground. “The suspect punched the member several times in the head and face before trying to disarm him”, says Watt.
During the struggle, the officer was able to maintain control of his sidearm, however, the suspect was made a getaway in the officer’s police vehicle. “The officer was dragged a short distance while trying to prevent the suspect from driving off”, says Watt.
The injured constable was able to make his way to a nearby home and, with the help of the homeowner, was able to call for help.
In-car GPS was used to trace the police vehicle to a location several kilometres away where it was found in a ditch, unoccupied and undamaged.
At about 5:30 p.m., local RCMP officers who were given assistance by Whitefish Lake residents, were able to track the suspect to a home on the south side of the reserve. The man was arrested at the home without incident.
Dominic Timothy Jackson, 26 of Whitefish Lake First Nation is facing seven charges in connection to the incident. He has been charged with assault on a police officer causing bodily harm, attempting to disarm a police officer, theft of a vehicle, flight from police, and resisting arrest.
Dominic Jackson was also wanted on four separate outstanding warrants. He currently faces a total of 19 criminal charges including the above incident and domestic assault, domestic assault with a weapon, break and enter, and uttering threats.
The injured RCMP officer was treated by EMS personnel and transported to St Paul Hospital where he was treated and released later Saturday night.
The charges against Dominic Jackson have not been proven in a court of law.