An armed robbery ended in one arrest after a manhunt led RCMP to the Enderby area.
Shortly before 4 a.m., April 7, Sicamous RCMP were called to an armed robbery of a licensed marijuana growing facility in the area.
A property representative arrived first after being notified of an alarm at the facility, but once on scene, the individual encountered two suspects armed with firearms.
A shot was allegedly fired towards the individual during a confrontation.
The individual was unhurt in the incident.
The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle.
An officer spotted the suspects heading eastbound on Mabel Lake Road in Enderby, however, the vehicle was found abandoned near Mabel Lake.
Police quickly established a perimeter in the large rural area of Kingfisher.
“In responding to calls of this nature, our police officers want to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” Vernon North Okanagan Operations Officers Insp. Kevin Keane said.
“Given the large geographical area and high-risk situation potentially involving firearms, the Southeast District Emergency Response Team has been brought in to assist with the search.”
Police requested citizens keep clear of the area while the search was underway and urged residents to lock their doors. Any suspicious activity in the area was to be reported to the police immediately, officers said.
North Okanagan residents were on edge due to the large police presence and several took to Facebook to alert their neighbours of the situation as it unfolded.
“Police are on the hunt for two armed men,” Mabel Lake Farms reported on social media early Tuesday morning.
“I was going to work and got pulled over at the end of the road then drove to the bridge where two other cops were blocking it,” said Megan Martin, whose parents own the farm located on Kingfisher Road near Enderby.
Another resident urged others living on Beatty Road and Stoney Road to lock their doors after his morning encounter with police around 4 a.m.
“Roadblock with assault rifles to say good morning to me at the Kingfisher bridge,” Bruce Ingleson said in response to the Farms’ social media post.
A search of the area by officers, assisted by the Southeast District Emergency Response Team, resulted in the arrest of one man.
The criminal investigation into the violent break-in is ongoing, led by the Sicamous RCMP with support from its North Okanagan counterparts.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Sicamous RCMP at 250-836-2878.
Police launch search for suspects in the Enderby Mabel Lake area https://t.co/uvgMa6TJjQ #VernonNorthOkanagan pic.twitter.com/pZUArwpMpZ
— Vernon North Okanagan RCMP (@VernonNOkRCMP) April 7, 2020
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