Off-duty RCMP officer allegedly threatened, assaulted by another parent while picking up child at school

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/02/2024 (616 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An off-duty Mountie was allegedly assaulted by two men — at least one of whom was intoxicated — outside of a Winnipeg elementary school Tuesday, after he asked them to knock off their unruly behaviour as class let out.

City police patrol, traffic and school resource officers rushed to Buchanan School, a St. James Assiniboia School Division kindergarten-to-Grade 5 in Winnipeg’s west suburbs, at about 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, where they found the off-duty officer injured and arrested the alleged assailants, men aged 39 and 44.

Major crimes detectives learned the suspects had been in a vehicle nearby as school let out and began making a disturbance, which led the RCMP officer to approach them to tell them to leave.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the pair had been driving “in an imprudent manner,” yelling at people from the car window and flicking cigarette butts, as children, parents and staff stood by.

The men are alleged to have left their vehicle and threatened the officer before assaulting him, as bystanders tried to intervene. School officials put the facility into a hold and secure as the incident unfolded.

“They were making some pretty poor choices with respect to interacting with anyone, let alone an off-duty officer who identified himself,” said Michalyshen. “They were clearly out of control, and for reasons I can’t explain, there was a serious assault.”

“They had opportunities to correct their behaviour and they chose not to.”

Michalyshen said drug or alcohol impairment may have clouded the men’s judgment, though he did not want to speculate on motive.

The Mountie and one of the men arrested were parents of children at the school, the Free Press has confirmed.

Jordana Buckwold, the school division’s assistant superintendent of education and administration, said the school followed all safety protocols to protect the kids and notify families.

“Counsellors were on site Wednesday to offer emotional support to any students that may need assistance,” said Buckwold.

The RCMP officer went to a hospital to get medical help but did not need to be admitted for further treatment, said Michalyshen.

Both of the men, whose names haven’t been released, were released on undertakings. They’ll be formally charged when they appear in court.

The 39-year-old man will be charged with assaulting a peace officer, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and causing a disturbance.

The 44-year-old man will be charged with the same offences and two impaired-driving charges.

Manitoba RCMP Chief Supt. Scott McMurchy said he was grateful to Winnipeg police for making arrests and to the members of the public who assisted the officer.

McMurchy said that it was the second instance of an off-duty Mountie being assaulted in Winnipeg in the past two months, noting a female officer recently tried to stop a shoplifter after identifying herself as RCMP and was attacked. The officer was injured but managed to restrain the person after a struggle, McMurchy said, adding Winnipeg police arrested that suspect, as well.

“The fact that both officers were attacked after identifying themselves as police officers is concerning,” McMurchy told the Free Press in an email. “These officers were carrying out their lawful duties, knowing the risks, not only because it’s expected of them, but because they want to make this province a better and safer place for all.”

Michalyshen asked for anyone with further information about the incident to call investigators at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca