A 26-year-old man was arrested Monday night after a couple was chased with a machete and their tent slashed.
Around 7 p.m., West Shore RCMP received a report that a man and woman had been chased through the woods by a man wielding a machete.
Front-line officers went to Millstream Road and the highway and found a makeshift homeless camp in a forested area off the Trans-Canada Highway. The victims told police that the man who chased them accused them of stealing from him and slashed up their tent with a machete.
“[He] continued to yell at them and allegedly held the machete against their necks stating he was going to cut them,” said West Shore RCMP Staff. Sgt. Raj Sandhu,
Officers found the suspect nearby, arrested him for assault with a weapon and seized the machete. The 26-year-old man is scheduled to appear in court.
“A rapid police response in this dangerous situation prevented any further violence,” Sandhu said. “Our officers successfully used de-escalation during the arrest of the suspect, who was described by witnesses as having ‘lost his mind and high on drugs.’ ”
