Off-duty cop thwarts attempted dine-and-dash

An off-duty RCMP officer got more than a meal when he went to the Frobisher Inn dining room July 24.

A man, allegedly drunk, refused to pay his bill when the restaurant’s debit machine stopped working, RCMP said in a news release Tuesday. The diner allegedly assaulted the off-duty officer after he tried to intervene.

The officer subdued the unruly customer, who was arrested when on-duty RCMP officers arrived. Sgt. Peter Pilgrim said the off-duty officer wasn’t hurt. Pilgrim wouldn’t give details of the altercation, nor the officer’s name, but said he wasn’t hurt and did not need to use pepper spray or a taser.

The customer was charged with assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and causing a disturbance. He wasn’t identified because charges hadn’t been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Pilgrim said police were still investigating and asked anyone who saw the incident to phone the Iqaluit RCMP detachment at 975-0123.

The man eventually paid his bill, Pilgrim said.