An Abbotsford Police officer has been acquitted of two assault charges related to a 2020 incident in West Vancouver.
According to an APD news release, the trial for Sgt. Shaun Nagel came to an end in January with Crown counsel submitting a request for the acquittal.
The charges stemmed from an incident on Feb. 26, 2020 after an officer pulled over a vehicle with Ontario licence plates on Highway 1 near the Bradner rest stop in Abbotsford.
The vehicle was uninsured, and an ID check of the driver revealed he was wanted on six warrants, RCMP said in a statement at the time.
Police said when the officer tried to arrest the man, the driver allegedly assaulted the officer, and an altercation ensued.
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The man, Dustin Ronald Mills, 50, was able to get away in a vehicle. He was followed “from a distance” by officers through several cities before they were able to stop him and arrest him on Capilano Bridge in West Vancouver.
Several police agencies assisted in the arrest, including Nagel and his service dog.
Police said at the time that Mills was bitten by a police dog during his arrest and required surgery for his injuries.
Nagel was charged in June 2022 with assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. His trial began in September 2023.
Abbotsford Police Deputy Chief Jason Burrows said he is satisfied with the court’s decision to acquit Nagel.
“Sgt. Nagel deployed his police dog under difficult and dynamic circumstances to arrest a volatile suspect without having the luxury of pausing a scene or going to a video-assisted referee to find a new angle,” he said.
”I am grateful no members of the public or other officers were harmed during this high-risk arrest. I would like to acknowledge the professionalism, integrity, and dignity Sgt. Nagel has demonstrated throughout this process.”
Court records indicate that Mills was sentenced to time served in February 2021 on three charges – assaulting a peace officer, being unlawfully at large, and assault with intent to resist arrest.
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