Account Login/Registration

Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below.


Facebook


OR


Register

Privacy Policy

VIDEO: Newly-elected Kelowna councillor shares terrifying encounter with knife-wielding attacker

As well-known broadcaster Rick Webber prepares to begin his first term as a Kelowna city councillor, he looks at crime as a key issue.

Not just because he's heard lots of people complain about it, but also because of his own experience.

(WARNING: graphic language)

"About a year ago, I got attacked by a guy with a knife," Webber explained. "Just outside my own condo building."

Perhaps it was his background in TV news, but when he saw someone trying to break into his building, he began to record.

"I decided to get some photos or video of him," he said. "And he saw that and came at me with the knife. He literally covered his face with the knife and came at me and then smashed the phone out of my hand."

Webber feared the worst.

<who>Photo credit: Contributed </who>

"While he was smashing the phone out of my hand he had the knife aimed at my stomach," he said.

"I had to wait to see whether he was actually going to stab me or not."

The man then smashed Webber's phone again and left.

"At the moment your heart is beating," he continued. "Yeah, you'll never get over it. You have to actually wait for a few minutes to see if you're going to get stabbed."

Webber found himself reasoning with the man to improve his chances.

"Look you'd better be careful," he recalls himself saying. "There could be neighbours watching."

He plans to be vocal on the crime issue.

"At our end," the city's end. "I mean they're trying to hire more RCMP officers and maybe we need to do more to get more RCMP officers here."

He knows it's not going to be easy.

"It's expensive to live here," he added. "Maybe we have to provide some sort of subsidized housing."

And he would like to see a greater visible presence.

<who>Photo credit: NowMedia </who>

"I'd like to see them doing more street patrols, walking patrols."

Webber also wants to turn up the heat on the provincial government.

He finds the recently announced effort to deal with repeat offenders to be weak.

"I didn't see anything in there about putting repeat offenders in jail longer."

Look for Webber to be a tough-on-crime member of council after the new group is sworn in Nov. 7.



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.


Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to news@kelownanow.com.



Weather
webcam icon

weather-icon
Fri
12℃

weather-icon
Sat
12℃

weather-icon
Sun
14℃

weather-icon
Mon
16℃

weather-icon
Tue
20℃

weather-icon
Wed
11℃

current feed webcam icon

Recent Livestream




Top Stories

Follow Us

Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Linkedin Follow us on Youtube Listen on Soundcloud Follow Our TikTok Feed Follow Our RSS Follow Our pinterest Feed
Follow Our Newsletter
Privacy Policy