Charges have been laid against a man involved in an incident allegedly involving a firearm last month who was injured by while being arrested by Emergency Response Team officers and a police dog.
Richard Joseph Willliams, 32, who has an extensive criminal history, made a video appearance in provincial court in Chilliwack on April 12 facing six charges for the incident on March 11 where Chilliwack RCMP were called to a report of a firearm found at a cemetery near Wellington Avenue and Ashwell Road.
Police say that when an officer arrived, Williams allegedly pointed the firearm at her and threatened to shoot. He then fled on foot to a nearby residence on Landing Drive on Skwah First Nation land.
The Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service (LMD IPDS) and Emergency Response Teams (ERT) were called to assist in the investigation and subsequent arrest. Officers contained the residence and as he exited, the man was arrested by officers from ERT with assistance from a police dog.
READ MORE: UPDATE: One in custody following police incident in Chilliwack on Skwah Reserve
He was transported to hospital with injuries, which were later determined to be serious.
The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO) was called in and is now investigating. IIO is the civilian-led oversight agency that investigates incidents of death or serious harm that may have been a result of police actions.
Williams is charged with two counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, two counts of using an imitation firearm, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and wilfully resisting or obstructing a police officer.
His criminal history in Chilliwack goes back more than a decade. He has been charged and convicted of numerous crimes over the years, some violent including a kidnapping in 2013.
A warrant was issued for his arrest in October 2020 on a firearms charge. That case is still before the courts.
READ MORE: Two suspects sought in kidnapping case
Williams remains in custody and is next scheduled for a video appearance on Tuesday (April 13).
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