A large police presence in front of a Burnaby Starbucks earlier this week was sparked by a call from a "man in extreme distress," according to police.
Officers were called to Brentwood Plaza by the mall and SkyTrain station at 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj.
He said the distressed man had called police.
"Frontline officers attended the area and located the man in the outdoor plaza area," Kalanj said.
Attempts to de-escalate the situation failed, and a Taser was deployed, after which the man was apprehended under the Mental Health Act, Kalanj said.
The man had told officers he had a weapon and wanted to hurt himself, according to Kalanj.
"We didn’t want him to do something to himself or someone else," Kalanj said.
Just this week, the Independent Investigations Office cleared Burnaby RCMP officers in a deadly interaction with a different distressed man at another local Starbucks last December.
A taser was deployed in that incident as well but wasn't effective as one of the probes failed to make contact.
The IIO concluded the officers involved had acted in "lawful execution of their duty," including the officer who attempted to Taser the man.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
