CITY MOUNTIE FACES FIGHT FROM SUSPECT WITH SYRINGE

An Errington man faces four criminal charges after attacking two RCMP
officers with a hypodermic needle that police believe was filled with
narcotics.

And now Const. Beth Blackburn, the arresting officer, is calling for the
courts to take a harsh view of such threats, which she says are happening
too often.

On Thursday at around 5 p.m. Blackburn was called to cover for Const. Marc
Pelletier, who was arresting a suspected prostitute behind the Nicol Street
McDonald's Restaurant.

Blackburn noticed a vehicle parked suspiciously close to a nearby dumpster,
and inside she found a couple she had previously arrested for drug possession.

The female produced a full syringe from inside her jacket, and Blackburn
put her under arrest, handcuffed her and Pelletier put her in the police car.

Blackburn then turned her attention to the male, who was now out of the
vehicle.

"He says: 'I'm really sick and I need to inject myself,'" Blackburn says.
The suspect grabbed the syringe and turned away from her.

"I ran over and grabbed him by the shoulder. Then I realize he's got a
loaded syringe and he's probably infected."

She backed away, and called for Pelletier, whose view was blocked by the
dumpster.

She called to the suspect to drop the syringe, but instead he turned and
started toward the officer.

"I'm thinking, 'I'm now in pretty grave danger - he's got a loaded needle
and he's either infected or he's got a dose lethal enough to kill me.'"

In response she drew her weapon.

Pelletier arrived and used pepper spray, but it has little effect.

"He now can't see and he's got his hand waving in the air with that S thing."

Finally, the suspect dropped the needle, but continued fighting.

"This guy was in a drug-induced craze. He was just out of control."

Blackburn called for backup, as Pelletier and Blackburn had used both their
pairs of handcuffs on the two suspects already under arrest.

As the suspect wouldn't give up, Pelletier used his baton on him.

"Marc just comes out swinging," she says.

"The guy ended up being struck several times."

One blow landed on the suspect's head, another broke an arm.

At one point the suspect fell down the embankment.

"The next thing you know, he's coming back up the embankment, at Pelletier
again. All I see is Marc finally grabbed onto him, and by this time other
units are finally there."

The entire ordeal took about three minutes.

It highlights what is becoming a common concern among police today - the
threat of death or illness from a needle-wielding junky.

"I've been in the force 15 years, and I really don't worry about getting
shot," Blackburn says.

"If that dose had gotten into me, I could have died. Plus, there's so many
infectious diseases out there we have to deal with, and that's a threat to
our job every day now."

Reiner Niederhumer, 31 made his first appearance in court Friday. He faces
charges of assault with a weapon, resisting arrest, assaulting a police
officer and possession of a narcotic.

Corrie Litwin, 39, was charged with possession of a narcotic.