NORTH BATTLEFORD – A 39-year-old North Battleford man faces weapons and assault charges following an incident at a business on Territorial Drive in North Battleford on March 31.
Darwin Andrew is charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, assault of a police officer, resisting/obstructing a peace officer, and disturbing the peace.
Battlefords RCMP say that they received a report at about 11:20 a.m. on March 31 of an armed man at a business and responded immediately. He wasn’t located and there were no injuries to anyone at the business.
Police patrolled the area and soon found Andrew walking on 101st Street. He ran from police but was apprehended after a brief foot chase. He assaulted an officer during the arrest. The officer wasn’t seriously injured. Andrew was found to be in possession of a knife and police seized it.
Mike Nord, CEO of Discovery Co-op, posted an announcement on their website saying that an incident outside the Discovery Co-op resulted in the RCMP responding with their firearms drawn.
“At the time of the incident our on-site security was notified as well as the RCMP," said Nord. “The RCMP responded within minutes and did a sweep of the inside and outside of the premises. Upon arriving, the RCMP quickly and quietly began to evacuate guests and bar additional guests from entering the facility. It was determined that the suspect did not enter the building and had left the scene, at which time the RCMP stopped evacuating guests.”
Andrew made his first appearance in North Battleford Provincial Court Monday. He was remanded in custody and will appear by CCTV on April 5.
Story updated with statement from Co-op.
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