Police award ‘recognizes Cpi.'’s bravery NORTH VANCOUVER “RCMP Cpi. Pat Dickson ‘says knowing that he was totally in the right when he shot five bul- lets. into a gun-wielding robber helps: him deal. with the ; thoughts that haunt him daily about the incident. : By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Paporter i a means a lot when- you've acted properly,and things worked out for the better.as far as the civil” ian population: and police go," said Dickson. © ; »., Dickson, 42, is 4 20-year veteran « of the’ RCMP. He. received a B.C... police honor, for bravery: in ‘mid- November fromthe lieutenant-gov- ernor in connection with the Oct. I, 1992, incident.’ ; -Dickson\was working as a con- "Stable at,the Coquitlam detachment at the’ time of the shooting. °° | a The’ movie-like: incident: began | when ‘three men robbed ae sports card store in Port Coquitlam... .- The men, Travis Thornton, 23 at the time, Clifton Thomas > Fred, now 26, and John David Friesen, now 24, all from the Lower Mainland area, were recent parvlees with long records of violent crimes.. “They threatened the. proprietor of the shop before tying him up. The proprietor’s son was also tied up. | ‘They said Woe commit all kinds of atrocities if he called Neb chase ensued.” A Were: being. pursued down Lougheed “When I hit him the first time, he leaned out the window,” said Dickson. “He took another shot a me at point-blank range and missed.” _. Diekson said he was able to get the 1 nose of the police car under the suspects’ car. He then accelerated and rammed the car into a rock wall. . “T got trapped in the car for a few seconds because of the . vehicle damage: heod up, windshield smashed,” said Dickson. Meanwhile the suspects were escaping. The shooter, Thorton, ran off and hopped over a fence. . The suspect in thc back seat was also escaping, NORTH VANCOUVER RCMP Cpl. Pat Dickson received an award for bravery last month in Victoria in connection with a 1992 Port Coquitlam robbery that left one suspect dead. “T yelled at him, and he turned and pointed a gun at mer" . said Dickson. ..' ; _ “I fired one shot and missed him.” wad Dickson chased the driver and caught him “just before he - went over:a fence.” The driver, who was the only one of. the three unarmed, was left with another police ‘officer while _ Dickson went after Thornton at Digger O’Riley’s Pub. In the pub, Thornton, armed with a 9-mm Luger semi-auto- ‘matic pistol, had taken two hostages and was “waving the gun ~. ‘around.”. ; ‘wh was" in. the: lead 4 police ¢ car at the end of the, pects‘ were heading up Allard Street © school zone. At that time of day, children would be | getting out of school for lunch. ' : Idn’t: allow the chase to go any further especially with the guy shooting out the window,” said Dickson, So Dickson rammed his police car into the suspects’ car, : News. Reporter, { Toy shop. organizer Diana Cowden says . demands,” said Cowden. : ‘She said people in need are looking ahead , to Christmas. Dickson said Digger’ 8 was quickly emptied of Its lunchtime . crowd, Police were surrounding the pub “when Dickson went - through the back door to find Staff Sgt. Pau Giffin and the sus- pect pointing guns at each other. : “Staff Sgt. Giffin was yelling at him to drop his weapon wel ot was a Mexican standoff, .” said Dickson. jun Bireat i Cowden. “S 4s j os Family program 66 When | yelled at him, he pointed the weapon at me. I fired two rounds and the weapon came | down, 99 _ Cpl. Pat Dickson Dickson said Thornton looked as if he was going.to shoot Giffin. _ > “Wher yelled at him, he point- ed the weapon at me. I fired two rounds and the- weapon came “down,” said Dickson. ; “And then it came back up again. He pointed at me again. 1 shot three more times,. He: still didn’t go down.” : Dickson said he had to kick Thornton off the bar stool onto the - ‘floor and wrestle with him while he was still holding the. gun. . The man died in the pub. Dickson said Thornton was shot. . by Matsqui police two years before ina standoff. — _ At the time of his death, Thornton had been out of jail for about three days, said Dickson. Friesen was jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty April 8-to robbery in connection with the incident. Five charges against him in connection with the incident were stayed. Fred is scheduled to appear in Coquitlam provincial court on Jan. 54 for “sentencing. He originally faced seven charges. -: After more than two years of thinking about the incident, ° which was “all over in 15 minutes,” Dickson is quick to say how it could have been prevented.’ | The corporal said all three suspects’ should not have been : out of jail in early release programs with their violent criminal NEWS photo Mike Waketiaid - backgrounds. | “You can’t keep releasing violent offenders out in the pub lic: Most have a tendency to re-offend. If they have a drug habit, they are certainly going to re-offend,” said Dickson The’ married father’ of ‘three’ children also received 'a ‘ ‘Commissioner's Commendation for Bravery from the nati al. head of RCMP for his efforts that October day. : -. Dickson said the incident marked the first time he had shot a suspect, despite being shot at four times during his career. -: : Along with fellow officers Giffin, Const. Claude’ Hamel,. Const. Rob..Marks and Const.: Jean Arsenault, .Dickson ‘received: the - police. honor. for bray ry. “Cpl. Reg Steward ' received an honorable mention." : ; Dickson said -he is honored’ by: the Tecogni ion,” but 2th shooting ‘continues to disturb him:.‘*You train all your life to. ve lives and you end up ‘taking a life. It’s fairly t traumatic of, their school-aged children : “The North: Vancouver Christmas Bui provides food hampers for applicants. -, Business groups or individuals may | al * provide -hampers, through the Adept. i “There is not that much left (now),” said children who got toys. . ee i The: total value. of: donated items’. ‘was , that is normal for this time of year, but that “doesn't mean things are OK... . _oi“What happens at the , beginning‘ of : December i is that people: are not really think- ing yet about giving. a “And thati is when we have our strongest But donations’ don't usually. peak ‘until -; ’ Dec. 19 or 20 when the program is almost shut down until next year. ‘ Cowden said the toy shop is in need of | articles for the estimated 400 families who will be coming through the doors in the next ! “I guess we do need it (toys and food items) now rather than later.” | a Applicants for toys and hampers are usu- ally chosen ‘through , the” Social Services Ministry. A parent may choose three toys foreach ‘North Vancouver Christmas Bure: approximately . $200,000, according, to the. *s Statis- . tics. ; For information, call 984-9627. or 984 . . TOYS. |