One man is in custody after Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP received numerous reports Sunday night, July 5, of a man assaulting people at Kalamalka Lake Beach.
Police dispatch was advised at around 8 p.m. of an altercation between two men on the Rotary Pier where one man was punched unconscious and fell into the lake. While witnesses helped the victim out of the water, a male suspect continued to assault other people on the dock and the beach.
Officers responded to the area and located the man in the parking lot, where he was advised he was under arrest for assault. The suspect refused to comply and fled on foot toward the train trestle over Kalamalka Road.
“The suspect was in a highly agitated state, standing at the top of the trestle and was screaming at police that he would kill them,” said Cpl. Tania Finn, media relations officer of the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP. “The officers on scene attempted to de-escalate the situation verbally and encouraged the man to give himself up peacefully.
“Given the dangerous location and the suspect’s level of aggression, officers deployed a conducted energy weapon which successfully caused a neural muscular incapacitation of the suspect. This permitted officers to take the suspect into custody without further incident or injury to the suspect or the officers involved.”
A 27-year-old Vernon man remains in custody in order to appear in court. One of the victims was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Const. Stephanie Buchanan at the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP non-emergency line of 250-545-7171.
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