NANAIMO — What started out as a shoplifting complaint escalated to a man attempting to disarm an RCMP officer and multiple threats to shoot her.
The high risk incident in Nanaimo on Dec. 28, 2021 headlined a Monday, Jan. 9 sentencing hearing for Bryan Imhoff, who pleaded guilty to nine charges for offences between 2019 and last year.
Imhoff, 32, has 49 days left to serve behind bars after a jointly submitted 16 month jail sentence recommendation was accepted by a provincial court judge with time already served into account.
During a time when Imhoff had spiraling substance abuse issues, the late 2021 incident originated at Port Place Shopping Centre’s London Drugs location.
The Crown’s Sabrina Avery stated a loss prevention officer (LPO) suspected Imhoff had shoplifted and followed him out the store. Imhoff responded by hitting the LPO, followed by threats to unleash bear spray on the employee.
The employee reported Imhoff had stolen cosmetics, but had thrown some of the goods away.
A responding RCMP officer then caught up to Imhoff at the bottom of a set of stairs off Promenade Dr. where she repeatedly informed him he was under arrest for theft.
The officer then grabbed Imhoff’s wrist.
He then punched her in the head and tried to get away up the stairs.
She wrapped her arms around Imhoff’s waist in an attempt to control him, however Imhoff grabbed officer’s gun in a bid to disarm her.
“I have your gun, let me go, I’m going to pull the trigger of your gun and I’m going to shoot you with your gun, let me go,” I’mhoff told the officer.
She maintained hold of her gun, which remained holstered.
She was yelling for help since the microphone to her police radio became lost during the ordeal, preventing her from communicating with dispatch.
A muffled “help me” voice could be heard over the police radio.
All available police units converged with the knowledge an officer’s safety was under threat and their colleague non-responsive.
Backup police units arrived on scene, finding the pair at the bottom of the stairs with Imhoff laying on top her.
One of the officers jumped down the stairs, knocking Imhoff off of the female Mountie.
“Ultimately Mr. Imhoff was able to be secured into handcuffs at that time, but he resisted and was non-compliant,” Avery told court.
An apologetic Imhoff told court he doesn’t remember what happened as the incident occurred during the height of his substance abuse issues.
The offender’s lawyer told court his client was in a depressive, drug-fueled state, who likely wanted to be shot.
Following the incident, Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said it was fortunate nobody was seriously injured during the high-stakes incident.
“(It was) an extremely dangerous situation. Our officer stayed in the fight, ensured that the firearm did not leave the holster,” O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW in early January, 2021.
Imhoff remained in custody until Feb. 17, 2022 when he was freed on bail, which Imhoff conceded was an ill advised decision.
He fell back into a pattern of drug use and committing crimes.
Ironically, the same LPO from the Port Place London Drugs came in contact with Imhoff again on March 6, 2022 at the store’s Nanaimo North Town Centre location.
The employee, highly familiar with Imhoff, spotted him leaving the store without paying for $740 worth of electric toothbrushes and razors.
“He was confronted by the LPO outside the store and he dropped the basket and took off on foot. Patrols were made in the area for Mr. Imhoff, but he could not be located,” Avery told court.
Imhoff stole a pair of cell phones from a Nanaimo church in 2019 and brandished a knife while wearing a mask outside a Victoria housing complex last May, both crimes which he pleaded guilty to.
He also pleaded guilty to an August 2021 assault at the Country Club Centre Shoppers Drug Mart in which Imhoff punched an LPO after being asked to leave the store.
Court was told the LPO chased Imhoff out of the business and wanted to engage in a physical confrontation with the offender, but no further altercation materialized.
Imhoff has 17 prior convictions, but the offences he was sentenced for in Nanaimo were his first set of convictions in the province since he moved to the Harbour City in 2016.
The offender completed several programs in recent months while in custody, including certificates in anger management.
He’s also taken counselling for his addiction issues and held a steady job while behind bars.
He was handed two years probation with numerous conditions.
Arrangements have been made for Imhoff to reside in a Nanaimo halfway house upon his release.
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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes
