TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. - Residents in Tumbler Ridge are demanding answers after a man accused of threatening young girls with a knife was released from hospital and returned to the community, just hours after being apprehended by police.
The incident happened late Saturday night in the 100-block of Kinuseo Avenue, where RCMP say a man was reported to be flashing a knife at several youth.
Sources tell CJDC TV News, the man allegedly chased two young girls down the street and threatened to kill them.
Officers responded and apprehended the man under the Mental Health Act. Police were required to transport him to hospital in Dawson Creek for assessment, rather than immediately proceeding through the criminal court process.
According to RCMP, the man was released from hospital in Dawson Creek the following morning and returned to Tumbler Ridge.
The suspect’s return to the community sparked widespread concern among residents still grappling with the aftermath of the February 10 mass shooting that shook the small northeastern B.C. community.
Some residents were reportedly searching for information about the man’s whereabouts and looking to take photos of him to alert the community, after learning he had been released.
Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka said residents were alarmed by how quickly the man was able to return to the community.
“The community was on edge,” said Krakowka, who added that many residents questioned why the man was able to return so quickly while fears remained high.
Krakowka said he immediately contacted both the provincial government and the federal Public Safety Ministers to express his concern.
The suspect was located and arrested again and remains in custody. RCMP say that two charges of uttering threats and a two charges of assault with a weapon have been approved by the BC Prosecution Service.
Krakowka praised local RCMP officers for their handling of the situation.
“The Tumbler Ridge RCMP did everything they can and the whole community thanks them for their quick action. We understand their hands are tied in this incident. But we want Northern Health to explain why this person was released and was able to come back to our community so quickly, with residents still in shock after what happened,” Krakowka said.
Questions remain about the circumstances surrounding the man’s release.
Under B.C.’s Mental Health Act, people who voluntarily seek psychiatric assessment are generally free to leave unless they are formally certified by a physician.
An initial medical certificate allows someone to be detained for up to 48 hours, while a second certificate can extend that detention. It remains unclear whether the suspect agreed voluntarily to an assessment or was certified under the Act.
Krakowka expressed concerns that if the suspect was not involuntarily certified, he could ultimately leave hospital.
The Tumbler Ridge Mayor is asking Northern Health to explain the process that led to him being discharged and returning to Tumbler Ridge less than a day after police intervention.
Northern Health said it cannot share any information about individual care, for privacy reasons.
The health authority stated that in instances like this, it is required to follow the law as stated in B.C.’s Mental Health Act and that it is not arbitrarily making decisions on patient’s care.
Northern Health says once an individual no longer has acute mental health care needs and provided they don’t meet the threshold for involuntary admission, they are discharged.
“Patients admitted under the Mental Health Act (or, ‘certified’ under the MHA), are clinically assessed and, based on assessment, are decertified when they no longer meet the criteria for certification,” said the health authority.
In a statement, BC RCMP spokesperson Jennifer Cooper said police are taking the incident seriously and that there is currently no further risk to the public. She also commended the youth who contacted police and residents who assisted investigators.