Victoria police are recommending charges against a man who allegedly stabbed an officer with a needle as police tried to revive an overdose victim.
Police said the incident happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, as patrol officers were called to help a person who was overdosing on Mason Street near Quadra Street.
Officers administered naloxone nasal spray and began performing CPR on the victim, who was unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse, according to police.
“While officers were providing life-saving medical care to the person, a crowd gathered and began to attempt to intervene in the emergency medical care officers were providing,” VicPD said in a media release Monday.
“Additional officers attended and began to move the crowd back. One of the officers was then stabbed under the arm with a needle by a man in the crowd.”
Police arrested the man with the needle at the scene, and the officer was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The person who was overdosing regained consciousness, but declined further medical attention from paramedics who arrived at the scene, police said.
Police are recommending charges of obstruction and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.