A man found sleeping in the vestibule of a downtown bank received 12 months probation for brandishing a knife on the janitor who woke him up.
Bryson Alexander Diaz, 22, was sleeping with a female under the floor mats at the Royal Bank of Canada downtown branch on April 5 when the longtime janitor for the bank attempted to wake the two up.
Diaz pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 in Provincial Court in Penticton to possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Diaz swore at the janitor and refused to leave. After an altercation, Diaz produced a knife and the janitor swung a broom at him. Diaz fled to McDonalds where police arrested him and found he was in possession of a folding knife.
Diaz was given a suspended sentence from Judge Greg Koturbash. Diaz was also given a firearms prohibition, was barred from the RBC in Penticton and ordered to apologize to the janitor.
“I just want to apologize. Where I was at in my life, it was a rough time and I handled those circumstances badly,” Diaz said. “I am prepared to deal with it. I’ve come a long way since then.”
