'It's a reality of rural policing': Lone Mountie responds to allegedly impaired driver pointing a gun

Kennedy O'Brien was on Highway 33 heading for Regina when a truck swerving across the road nearly forced him into the ditch.

On Friday evening O'Brien was east of Tyvan, Sask., when a 2015 or 2016 'Blue Jean'Ford F-150crew cab carrying two men veered over the shoulder of the road.

"I was thinking oh, that guy's on his cellphone like a dumb-dumb and didn't think much of it," said O'Brien, who is a manager at a car dealership.

According to him the truck kept riding the centre line, eventually hitting the ditch and driving in the oncoming lane.

"Then he ran a minivan off the road," said O'Brien.

"I really thought that someone was going to be dead right then and there."

I was thinking, oh god I'm going to end up in a gun fight.- Kennedy O'Brien

The truck then went back into the proper lanebut quickly came to a screechinghalt, pulling a U-turn on the highway. O'Brien said after slamming on his brakes he was less than six feet from smashing into the stopped truck, since he had beendriving100 km/h.

The truck then turned onto a gravel road. O'Brien was on the phone with RCMPby now, following the truck, trying to get a licence plate number. On the grid road the driver tried to lose him, but swerved off the gravel, hitting abarbed wire fence.

The driver of the truck opened his door and, according to O'Brien, pointed a gun at him. From O'Brien's perspective it looked as if the truck was stuck in the ditch. Sohe parked in front of it and crawled out of his truckthrough the passenger side door, taking cover behind the engine block.

All the while O'Brien was still on the line with the RCMPdispatch, relaying what he saw.

Rural RCMPresponse time

O'Brien is a competitive shooter, and had a non-restrictedrifle with him in his truck.

"All I did was slide out of my truck and make sure my weapon was in my driver seat," said O'Brien. "I was thinking 'Oh God,I'm going to end up in a gun fight.'"

He added that he did not take his gun out of his truck, and at no point did he wield it or point it at the men.

"Dispatch told me the closest person they had was in Ocean Man [First Nation]," he said. "So I had to stay there for essentially 20 minutes and there was only one responding officer."

The dispatcher told him that they wouldn't be able to respond immediately, and to stay safe even if that meant backing up and letting the men go.He said he felt compelled to block them because if they got back out on the road he was convinced someone would die.

Cpl. Keith Kosior, with the Fillmore detachment of the RCMP,had just finished dealing with another call when he was dispatched to O'Brien.

"We have to respond, whether we have back up or not," saidKosior.

Fortunately he had back up, but they were 15 to 20 minutes away, once he arrived on scene.

Once he saw Kosior's lights, O'Brien got back in his vehicle and reversed away from the truck. Kosiorjumped out of his car alone, C8 carbine drawn, and started shouting commands at the two men.

"Unfortunately it's a reality of rural policing right now, especially in the RCMP," said Kosior.

"Oftentimes we are responding to situations where we would prefer to have more than one member."

'The trick is to harness that'

Two handguns were found during the arrest. With the investigation ongoing Kosior was not able to say if the men will be charged further. But depending on what information comes back on the handguns and given O'Brien's claim that the driver pointed a gun at him it is possible more charges will follow.

"If you use a firearm, even if it's an imitation firearm or let's say a pellet gun or a BB gun, if you use it in an offence it can be considered a firearm under the criminal code," said Kosior.

Regardless, the RCMPwill consulta crown prosecutor before laying additional charges related to the guns.

During the early stage of theinvestigation Monday the passenger hadnot been charged with anything.The driver of the truck was charged with impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and refusal or failure to provide a breath sample.

Despite the tension of the situation, Kosiorsaid his training has prepared him for anything.

"Anyone who said that they wouldn't be somewhat nervous or even frightened would be lying to you," said Kosior. "The trick is to harness that, and to use it to your advantage."