The Kelowna RCMP arrested a man who was asking for change as cars drove through the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 33 on Wednesday evening.
Const. Solana Paré told the Capital News an officer was patrolling the area when they noticed a man committing a bylaw offence — panhandling — on the median. She said the man had previously been given a warning for the same infraction.
Highway 33 blocked (one north/ on south lane) in #Kelowna as 4 @KelownaRCMP cruisers on scene. Reports one man was arrested just before 5 p.m. check @KelownaCapNews for updates pic.twitter.com/wgkCgOxMym
— Jen Zielinski (she/her) (@Jen_zee) August 12, 2021
Paré claimed the man then “became escalated, yelling at the officer and ran into the roadway towards the officer.” The man then allegedly attempted to assault the officer and was subsequently arrested.
Shortly after the incident, several police cruisers were spotted near the intersection.
The man was later released from police custody without conditions.
The City of Kelowna’s panhandling bylaw forbids panhandling from drivers stopped at traffic lights, along with several other circumstances. People found to be breaking the bylaw can be fined up to $2,000 or jailed up to 90 days. The bylaw has been in place since 1998.
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@michaelrdrguezmichael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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