A 17-year-old in Yellowknife faces charges of robbery, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, police said, after attempting to steal Old Spice cologne from a downtown store.
According to a Thursday RCMP news release, officers were called to the business – which was not identified – at around 6pm on Wednesday.
“RCMP were told that a security guard had approached a male youth who was attempting to shoplift from the store. When confronted, the youth pulled out a knife and threatened the security guard before fleeing with the stolen merchandise,” police stated.
“The youth was located a short distance away and officers attempted to arrest him. During the arrest, the youth spit on the arresting officer and punched the officer in the face.
“A second officer on scene was kicked in the chest twice and in the arm once as the officers were securing the male in the police vehicle. A knife and the stolen property, Old Spice cologne, were recovered during the arrest. The officers were not seriously injured.”
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Nobody involved in the incident was publicly identified.
RCMP said the youth was held in custody pending a court appearance and is charged with assaulting a police officer, robbery with a weapon, resisting arrest and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
The press release came a day after the CBC reported RCMP elsewhere in the territory faced allegations of excessive force. Officers in Fort Smith are the subject of a formal complaint over their actions while escorting a man to a cell.
