Machete-wielding man shot by police in Calgary mall parking lot charged with assault
Body-worn camera video shows the man refusing to drop a large machete and knife, ASIRT says
Charges have been laid against a man who was shot by police Sunday morning in southeast Calgary after approaching officers while holding weapons, according to the province's police watchdog.
Officers were called to the mall parking lot in the 200 block of Shawville Boulevard S.E. where they found a man in his 30s.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team seized video from officers' body-worn cameras. The agency said it showed the man approaching officers while wielding a large machete in one hand and knife in the other.
The "situation escalated" and an officer shot the man, police said.
After the shooting, the man still refused to drop the weapons, and additional force was necessary to arrest him and get him medical treatment, police said.
He was also hit with Arwen less-lethal plastic rounds, Pepperballs — projectiles that disperse pepper powder — and a Taser.
Once in custody, the man was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries. He sustained a broken femur and a penetrating wound. ASIRT said it is investigating which police action caused or contributed to the man's injuries.
Daniel Richard Balcerzak, 35, of Claresholm, Alta., is charged with:
- Two counts of assaulting a police officer.
- Two counts of assault with a weapon.
- One count of weapon dangerous to public peace.
- One count of uttering threats to cause death.
He remains in custody in hospital in stable, non life-threatening condition and is set to appear in court on Sept.10.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province's law enforcement watchdog, is investigating the shooting.
The officer who fired the shot is an 11-year member and is now on 30-day administrative leave.