Good thing those officers are fit
A couple of uniformed Kelowna RCMP Downtown Enforcement Unit (DEU) officers were physically drained after a pair of back to back foot chases late Thursday afternoon.
The front line officers were conducting high visibility foot patrols on Bernard Avenue when they witnessed a male suspect discharge a canister of bear spray at another man. The assault was carried out in the middle of very busy major downtown intersection of Bernard Avenue and Water Street.
"The potency of the burning and irritating effects of the spray impacted numerous innocent bystanders in the immediate vicinity of the assault," states Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey of the Kelowna RCMP.
The officers engaged in a foot chase with the assault suspect who was taken into police custody without further incident. The 28-year-old Lake Country area man was subsequently held in police custody and faces potential criminal charges.
Moments later the officers were told of an act of vandalism just committed nearby, where a female suspect tossed a planter through a large plate glass window of a business. The 29-year-old Kelowna woman fled the scene on foot, but was also chased down by the DEU members who placed her under arrest. She also faces potential charges and is expected to appear in Court in August.
"The Kelowna RCMP Summer Policing Strategy is well underway, with enhanced patrols across Kelowna," states Supt. Brent Mundle, Officer-In-Charge of the Kelowna RCMP. "Kelowna residents will see increased foot, mountain bike and boat patrols daily throughout the summer and during special events. They will even see uniformed police officers patrolling parks, beaches, public spaces and trails on side by side Gator Utility Vehicles (UTV), and even on our newly obtained golf cart."
