A dramatic incident at Orchard Park Shopping Centre Friday night has left one man in custody.
Just after 6:00 p.m. January 29th, Kelowna RCMP responded to reports of a man wielding a knife inside a jewelry store at Orchard Park Mall.
"Our officers effectively cleared the immediate area inside the mall of civilian shoppers for their safety, while several police officers, some armed with carbine rifles, made verbal contact with the suspect who was still inside the store and still in possession of a steak knife,” said Cst. Jesse O'Donaghey.
According to police, the man had entered at least two stores, flashed the knife at store employees and demanded use of the phone to call 911.
As many as 20 officers were called to the mall, as the 28-year old suspect was not compliant with police demands to put his weapon down. Police attempted to taser the man, but it had no effect as the suspect's clothing was too thick.
After further negotiation, the man finally put down his knife and police were able to take him into custody.
Kelowna RCMP believe the man may have been under the influence of drugs or other intoxicating substances.
The suspect is wanted on multiple, unrelated warrants out of Vernon and Dawson Creek. He remains in police custody and will face several potential charges including assault with a weapon, and failure to comply with a probation order.
The shopping centre remained open throughout the ordeal.
No one was injured during the incident.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
