Sean Amato – CTV News Edmonton
A man was hospitalized Sunday night after he was shot by an EPS officer with a “less-lethal” weapon.
Police say the man was intoxicated by drugs and threatening people with a machete in the area of 121 Avenue and 58 Street around 9 p.m.
“It was multiple complaints of a male swinging a machete at vehicles passing by. And he was also covered in blood,” Edmonton Police Service Inspector Erik Johnson confirmed to CTV News Edmonton on scene.
The officer used an Anti Riot Weapon ENfield (ARWEN), which launches a rubber baton projectile.
Johnson said the man was holding a machete in a raised hand when he “came towards” officers.
“It was an ARWEN or a pistol, and fortunately we had that less-lethal device on scene here or else it could have ended very badly,” Johnson said.
The man, who police said was in his late-20s or early-30s, was taken to hospital by EMS with minor injuries.
Police searched the area, but found no one else injured.
Johnson said ARWEN use by EPS is rare, estimating it has been used fewer than 10 times since EPS started using the weapon in 2017.
