An officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was forced to taser a 14-year old boy that was attempting to commit suicide.

The youth was found in an apartment suite after the boy's parents have made an emergency call to the police. He was in "significant distress, expressing a desire to kill himself after already having made several attempts", said Constable Peter Neily.

The RCMP officers attempted to arrest the boy-under the Mental Health Act-and transport him to the hospital for treatment. However, the boy, who was described as being 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds, struggled. Police were unable to physically subdue him, even after using pepper spray.

Officers reported that the boy attempted to strike himself with a mallet at one point. Officers used the taser when the boy continued to pose a risk to himself and those around him. In push-mode a taser delivers an electrical charge on the surface of the skin, causing pain. When fired, electrical probes penetrate the skin, causing neuro-muscular incapacitation.

Mr. Neily reported that the taser was deployed only after careful risk assessment, and when "no lesser force options were available that would be effective". Senior RCMP officers conducted a review of what happened with the boy's family, who were "satisfied with the police response".