The beanbag is greater than the steak knife

Officer subdues knife-wielding attacker with beanbag shotgun

A man who tried to attack police with a steak knife was stopped by a shotgun that uses beanbags as ammunition.

Last night, Halifax Regional Police were chasing Timothy Lee Carnathan after seeing him throw a brick through a window on Main Street. At one point during the chase, Carnathan turned, and lunged at the officers with a steak knife.

One officer decided to use a beanbag shotgun to take down Carnathan.
Twelve beanbag shotguns, used to subdue people in a non-lethal way, were purchased last month by HRP. This was the first time one was used, and the results were positive.

“It worked well. I can see us using these again in the future,” says Const. Kwame Jones.

Carnathan has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of felony assault, one count of resisting arrest, failure to obey a police officer, and destruction of property. His bail has been set at $5,000.

In incidents like this, officers are permitted to use lethal force, but the police department purchased the new weapons in an attempt to stop threats with non-lethal force.