THE Alberta Serious Incident Response Team published the conclusions of its investigation into arrest of man who started multiple fires inside Calgary City Hall in August 2022, causing approximately $2 million in damage.
Calgary police were called to city hall early one morning in August. On Dec. 2, amid reports an armed man broke into the building that houses the city council chambers, cashiers and other offices.
The man started four fires inside City Hall, which the building’s automatic fire suppression system extinguished, causing extensive water damage to three levels of the building.
Calgary Police were called to Calgary City Hall on August 2, 2022 after reports that an armed man had broken into the building and started several fires.
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The ASIRT report says the man was armed with a machete when police arrived and he refused to drop the weapon, instead waving it, pacing back and forth and shouting at the police to shoot him.
The ASIRT report included a photo of the machete officers said the man was armed with when they arrived at Calgary City Hall.
ASIRT
Believing the man was emotionally disturbed and a danger to himself, the police and the public, the officers shot him multiple times for a ARWEN (Riot Weapon) – described as a “device that fires hard plastic projectiles designed to incapacitate a person so that they can be arrested without officers needing to use a deadly weapon, such as a firearm.”
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The report said the man eventually dropped the machete after being hit by at least nine bullets from the ARWEN.
Officers then used a police dog to help arrest him, causing him multiple serious puncture wounds to his arm.
The man, who was apprehended under the Mental Health Act, required surgery due to serious injuries to his genitals believed to have been caused by one of the ARWEN bullets.
ASIRT says when the man was later interviewed in hospital, he admitted to breaking into Calgary City Hall with the intention of setting it on fire.
The man who broke into City Hall started four fires that caused about $2 million in damage and forced the temporary relocation of several city departments while repairs were underway.
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The report said the man’s medical records revealed significant mental health issues, including a 2006 diagnosis of schizophrenia, with past violent episodes attributed to his failure to take his medication.
prescribed medications.
THE ASIRT report includes details of interviews with the man, a civilian witness as well as the officers involved.
Investigators also had access to evidence at the scene, police cameras and a significant amount of CCTV footage from the town hall’s security cameras.
The report concluded that the officers’ conduct was “proportionate, necessary and reasonable” and that there was no evidence to believe they engaged in illegal or unreasonable conduct.
The City of Calgary estimates the man who broke into city hall and started several fires caused between $1.3 million and $2.2 million in damage.
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The city estimated the damage cost between $1.3 and $2.2 million with insurance expected to cover about 80 percent of the bill.
This also forced the temporary relocation of a number of town hall services to other city-owned buildings while major repairs were underway.
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