Suspect spat bloody saliva into officer’s mouth, Vancouver police say

A woman has been charged after allegedly spitting into the mouth of a Vancouver police officer.

A police officer is recovering at home after being assaulted in East Vancouver this week, according to authorities.

The Vancouver Police Department said the incident happened while officers were responding to a 911 call about a woman causing a disturbance near Clark Drive and East 12th Avenue around 1 a.m. Monday.

“She was throwing around things, threatening people, breaking things,” said Const. Tania Visintin in an interview Thursday afternoon.

The alleged assault took place after the woman was arrested and taken into custody.

“She had a mouth full of bloody saliva, and she spat into the mouth of one of our officers,” said Visintin. “Our officer was then taken to hospital as a precaution in case there was any bloodborne diseases that this woman may have had.”

Visintin said the officer has been medically cleared and is now recovering at home.

The suspect, 33-year-old Kaitlin Balfour, has since been charged with assaulting a police officer, uttering threats, and breaching her release conditions.

She remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Friday morning.

James Hubert, acting president of the Vancouver Police Union, called the incident “pretty disgusting.”

“Outrageous that something like this would have happened to one of our members when they’re just in the execution of the job,” said Hubert.

According to the VPD, there have been 35 assaults against officers so far this year, up from 27 over the same period in 2024.

“Obviously it’s something we’re really concerned about,” Hubert said. “Our members are really sick and tired of this.”

Many of the alleged assaults on police officers have been by violent repeat offenders, he said.

“We need more violent repeat offenders held behind bars,” Hubert added. “This isn’t about blame, its about finding solutions that are going to work for everyone.”