As the manhunt for Bridgewater’s Tobias Doucette continues, here is a wrap up of what we know about the situation.
A Domestic Call in Bridgewater
Bridgewater Police responded to a domestic violence call at the Bridgewater Hotel on High Street around 11 p.m. Monday.
The call was made by the front desk staff and three officers responded. During the call, and altercation broke out and Sergeant Matt Bennett was attacked, taking an edged weapon to the neck.
The suspect, an indigenous man in his 30’s fled the scene on foot and ran into a wooded area nearby.
Both Bridgewater Police and RCMP quickly set up a perimeter around the South End of Bridgewater, as the suspect was last seen in the backyards and wooded areas near Jubilee Street.
Bennett and the domestic violence victim were both taken to hospital for their injuries. The victim was released shortly after while Bennett was taken to Halifax for surgery.
Emergency Alert Issued
Shortly after 6 AM Tuesday, an emergency alert was sent out province-wide, warning people of the situation in Bridgewater.
The alert noted the suspect hadn’t been seen in four hours, was last spotted near the South edge of town, and was thought to be armed. It also noted he was last seen wearing shorts, and did not have shoes or a shirt.
Residents in that area of town were asked to stay inside and report any strange or odd sightings or occurrences.
Police and k-9 units continued to search the area, checking wooded trails, sheds and sports field dugouts.
Suspect Identified
At 11:35 AM, Bridgewater Police identified the suspect as Tobias Doucette and released a photo to the public in hopes someone may have spotted him.
A release stated Doucette was being charged with Attempted Murder of a Bridgewater Police Sergeant and Assault on his common law partner.
An arrest warrant had been issued as well, however there hadn’t been any sightings of Doucette since the Emergency Alert was sent out.
A heavy police presence was seen around town, with multiple units gathering around Prince Street, DesBrisay Museum and Shipyard Landing.
A Chase Ensues
Shortly before 1:30 PM, Bridgewater Police Services sent out an alert stating police had spotted the suspect near the woods South of Pine Street and were in pursuit.
Another unit has arrived, equipped with a rifle. Paying a lot of attention to the southeast end of King St. pic.twitter.com/2inXoFytIJ
— Its CODY McEachern (@CodyInHiFi) July 21, 2020
Residents in the area were asked to lock their doors and stay inside at the time.
In a release sent out Wednesday, police say they found Doucette in the LaHave River. Police attempted to arrest him, but Doucette fled into the woods along highway 331 in Conquerall Bank.
An RCMP police dog was injured in that attempt.
Police quickly shut down King Street/Highway 331 at the corners of Jubilee and Pine to public traffic, and a DNR helicopter was spotted hovering over the area.
An officer was heard saying they had the road shut down “for a few kilometres,” and that it would probably be a few hours before they opened it up.
However after an hour, RCMP moved the line up to just before Harlow Road on Hwy 331, where multiple cruisers, units and ERT vehicles were stationed.
Another Unit Stabbed
Around this time, witnesses reported seeing a K-9 unit being brought into the South Shore Vet for what was assumed to be a stab wound.
A police cruiser was seen speeding into the parking lot with its lights on, followed by a dog being escorted into the vet with police.
At the time, the vet clinic nor the RCMP would say if the dog was involved in the manhunt, however police have since confirmed a K-9 unit was stabbed during yesterday’s search. Whether the dog belonged to BPS or the RCMP police force is unknown.
The condition of the dog has not been released.
Conquerall Mills
As the evening rolled in, a heavy police presence was seen on both Highway 331 and Conquerall Mills Road.
Another ERT unit has arrived to the scene South of Pine St. pic.twitter.com/mBiTwLKQkQ
— Its CODY McEachern (@CodyInHiFi) July 21, 2020
The Nova Scotia RCMP had tweeted they were searching for the suspect in that area, and were beginning to evacuate some residents along the road.
They said Doucette was suspected to be armed with a knife, and had stabbed a police dog earlier in the day.
Residents were told to remain locked indoors and to not answer the door unless it was an RCMP or Bridgewater Police officer.
At 9:43 PM, RCMP said there would be no more updates for the night, and would “send out more info if we have something to share.”
In their latest release, Bridgewater police say the RCMP Critical Incident Command took over the search lead due to the last incident and last known location occurring in the Conquerall Bank area of Lunenburg County.
Unconfirmed Reports
There has been reports of RCMP roadblocks set up outside of the South Shore.
Between 8-9 PM last night, a heavy police presence could be seen around the Hubbards area with officers checking cars. Police have not confirmed whether or not police were looking for Doucette in the area.
This morning, a roadblock was set up in the Canso region and RCMP members were checking vehicles for Doucette. An RCMP officer told a passerby Doucette had family in the area.
Neither the Bridgewater Police or the RCMP have confirmed whether or not Doucette is believed to still be in the Bridgewater area.
With files from Evan Taylor. Follow Cody McEachern and Evan Taylor on Twitter at @CodyInHiFi and @evanrtaylor for more updates.
