Mission RCMP officer acts swiftly to keep autistic teen safe in high-risk incident

MISSION – Mounties in Mission say one of their police officers acted quickly last month to resolve a high-risk incident involving a 14-year-old non-speaking girl with autism who began driving a group home vehicle and struck a car and a fence.

According to a statement from Constable Sukh Sidhu, General Duty A-Watch spokesperson in Mission, staff at a group home in Mission called police on the evening of Thursday, April 16 after a 14-year-old non-speaking autistic girl managed to get the keys for the group home’s Dodge Grand Caravan. Cst. Sidhu says the girl entered the Grand Caravan and began driving it before colliding with a parked car, a fence and subsequently reversing into a tree. At this point, the van became stuck, but the girl attempted to keep driving.

The first responding officer on scene promptly identified the potential risks of the situation, especially since the girl was still in the driver’s seat with the engine running, but was not communicating with anyone. She had all of the doors locked, and no spare key was available.

“The officer recognized that the vehicle needed to be turned off, to avoid causing injury to the girl or anyone else, but also wanted to avoid traumatizing her by getting into a physical confrontation,” Cst. Sidhu said. “Breaking a window was the only way to quickly get into the vehicle, so the officer went to the passenger side of the vehicle to do so, with the hope that it would be less frightening for the girl (as opposed to breaking the driver-side window), and would reduce the chance of injury to her from the broken glass.”

The officer quickly shattered the window, reached in and shut off the vehicle. Since no further danger was present now that the vehicle was turned off, the officer gave group-home staff the time they needed to communicate with the teen, which resulted in her eventually willingly exiting the vehicle and returning inside the home. On the upside, Cst. Sidhu says no one was injured, and property damage was relatively minor compared to what it could have been.

“Mission RCMP highlights this as a good example of the balance that officers often have to find between trying to peacefully de-escalate a situation, while still taking necessary action in a timely manner,” Cst. Sidhu said. “Anyone calling police to report a matter involving an autistic person, or someone else with factors that may impact their interaction with police, should advise the police call-taker, so that officers can do their best to recognize and accommodate that person’s needs, resulting in an improved outcome for everyone.”

April was Autism Awareness Month, which endeavours to highlight the inclusion of persons with autism. Police say that when a police officer is interacting with someone with autism, the officer may need to change how they communicate with that person, balancing being calm, patient, and understanding, while also potentially needing to still take swift action in order to ensure someone’s safety.