Police safely apprehend woman under mental health act

On Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP received a request for assistance in locating and apprehending a woman who was in the community and believed to be suffering a mental health crisis.

Shortly before 5 p.m., a frontline officer located the woman in a vehicle in the driveway of a residence on Tronson Road. Officers approached the woman and began to communicate with her. Despite continued efforts to de-escalate the situation, the woman tried to escape by driving into the police vehicles that had been positioned to prevent her from leaving. Recognizing the risk the woman’s behaviour posed to the safety of the public, police, and herself, an officer broke a passenger side window to gain access to the vehicle. After a brief struggle, the woman was safely apprehended under the Mental Health Act and transported to hospital for treatment.

Our primary goal in any intervention is for a safe resolution, states constable Chris Terleski, Media Relations Officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. The quick action by the responding officers allowed this situation to be resolved safely and prevented anyone from being injured.