A school trustee in Prince George, B.C., says she was "terrified" after being ordered out of her vehicle at gunpoint by police and handcuffed for a few minutes before being let go, leaving her "feeling afraid, overwhelmed and angry."
Erica McLean says in a Facebook post that she had parked at a shopping centre after getting a coffee at a drive-thru on Tuesday when she was boxed in by police vehicles and ordered out of her sport utility vehicle by officers with their guns pointed at her.
McLean says police were yelling at her to show her hands, and she was left frozen in shock and worried she'd be shot if she put her phone down or took off her seatbelt.
She says she was handcuffed, told that her vehicle was reported stolen, and began having a panic attack, before officers took off the cuffs and tried to calm her down.
McLean says she believes it's her responsibility as an elected official, an Indigenous woman, and community leader to seek answers about what lead police to use such force against "a woman leaving a drive-thru."
Prince George RCMP say in a statement that the vehicle had been mistaken for a black 2025 Volkswagen Taos that had been reported stolen a day earlier by suspects believed to be "associated with a local crime syndicate."
The statement says members of the detachment's street crew unit engaged in a "high-risk vehicle stop" because they believed the people in the vehicle were part of a "known crime group."
Police say it was "quickly determined" that the driver they had detained was not who they were looking for, and she was released.
“We have been in contact with the driver several times since this incident occurred,” Sgt. Dan Morris, commander of the street crew unit, said in the statement.
“We have had the opportunity to explain what occurred to lead our police officers to believe hers was the vehicle we were looking for and have offered support from our victim services unit and our detachment.”
Prince George RCMP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
