Resisting arrest, alcohol charges also laid against teen in case involving off-duty Mountie

A teenager charged with assaulting an off-duty P.E.I. RCMP officer is also facing charges of resisting arrest and a number of liquor-related offences, according to Chief Superintendent Kevin Lewis.

The 15-year-old male accused can't be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. 

At least part of the incident was captured in footage by witnesses with cellphones, a gas station's CCTV security system, and the body cams worn by RCMP officers who came to their colleague's assistance, Lewis told CBC News on Friday, a day after the force issued a news release about the incident.

"Police officers are 24/7," he said of the off-duty officer's actions. "There's an expectation that we maintain public safety at all times — and if we witness an offence occurring or about to occur, we have to intervene."

It all started at about 6:30 p.m. on April 1, when the off-duty officer smelled alcohol while standing near someone inside the gas station in New Haven, in central P.E.I. 

Lewis said the officer then watched the person leave the station and get into the driver's seat of a car. 

When he went to talk to the driver, Lewis said the officer noticed both open and sealed alcohol in the car and asked the driver to get out, presenting his ID and badge and identifying himself as a police officer.

Detaining the youth as part of investigation of impaired driving, he took the young man back into the gas station.

"A third party that was a passenger in the vehicle then enters a gas station and causes a confrontation between the police officer and that individual," Lewis said. "At that point in time, the detained youth then pushes the police officer multiple times…

"A struggle ensues between the police officer and the male youth, which goes outside the gas station, and the police officer then attempts to further detain the individual and keep them on the ground." 

Lewis said yet another bystander then tried to pull the off-duty Mountie off the person he was trying to arrest. 

"Again the [officer] tried to identify themselves as a police officer and asked them to refrain from what they were doing." 

On-duty officers arrived shortly to take over, he said, leading to charges eventually being laid.