Frank Lasser, 82, was stunned with a Taser by the RCMP when he refused to put down a knife. Frank Lasser, 82, was stunned with a Taser by the RCMP when he refused to put down a knife. (CBC)

RCMP were right to use a Taser against an 82-year-old patient at a hospital in Kamloops, B.C., according to a new report from the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.

An RCMP officer used a stun gun to subdue Frank Lasser after he allegedly threatened an officer with a knife at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops in May 2008.

Lasser was a patient at the hospital when a nurse noticed early one morning that he had a knife and called security and eventually police. Three RCMP officers responded to the call.

"Throughout this incident, Mr. Lasser's behaviour could reasonably be described as posing a threat of grievous bodily harm or death," wrote Paul Kennedy, the chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, in the report released on Wednesday.

"It was only after repeated failed attempts to control Mr. Lasser through other means that RCMP members elevated their use of force to deploying the [conducted energy weapon]. Accordingly, I find that the use of the weapon was reasonable and justified under the circumstances," wrote Kennedy.

Lasser, who was in the hospital due to pneumonia, later insisted he was frail and his memory was impaired by drugs at the time, and the former prison guard suggested "a couple of guys" with a blanket could have easily subdued him without using a Taser.

But Kennedy found Lasser's recollection of events to be poor and said it was likely impacted by other factors, most notably his medication and the fact he was not receiving oxygen as ordered.

Kennedy also noted several unsuccessful attempts were made to disarm Lasser by both hospital security and RCMP officers.

At one point, Lasser turned in the direction of an RCMP member with the knife raised above his head and ready to strike downward, and as a last resort and fearing for the safety of a fellow officer, an officer deployed his Taser at Lasser, said Kennedy.

The commissioner also noted that since the incident the RCMP has reviewed and revised its guidelines on the use of Tasers.

"Overall, I am encouraged by the decrease of [conducted energy weapon] usage and increased restraint shown by RCMP members in the field," said Kennedy.

With files from the Canadian Press