B.C. police charged after Taser used on man, 73

A Mountie from Surrey, B.C., and a Metro Vancouver transit police officerhave been charged with assault in connection with a 73-year-old man who was jolted with a Taser after being arrested under the Mental Health Act.

The incident happened in April when police responded to a call of a man with a knife causing a disturbance at a home. The man was taken to hospital, where he was stunned once by an RCMP Taser and suffered facial injuries, police said.

Const. Mitchell Speares is charged with assault and assault with a weapon, and has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Const. Ken Jansen, a member of the B.C. Transportation Authority Police Service, is also charged with assault. He also has been suspended with pay.