Dog walking in downtown Kelowna turns violent

KELOWNA–A confrontation between two people walking their pets on a downtown greenway quickly turned into a police incident last weekend.

Kelowna RCMP responded to several reports of a disturbance on the greenway behind Sunset Drive on the afternoon of February 10.

A 25-year-old Kelowna man was walking his dog and a pig when he got into an argument with a 26–year–old woman who was also walking her dog.

The woman told police that the man was being inappropriate and grabbed her arm. She went back to her car and told a family member what happened.

It was then that the family member, a 55–year–old Kelowna man, confronted the dog walker, allegedly striking him in the face multiple times.

The commotion attracted the attention of several witnesses nearby, who tried to help separate the two men.

The 25–year–old man was apparently bitten by the woman’s dog during the fray.

An ambulance attended the scene and treated the injured man.  RCMP say he suffered serious face injuries and multiple apparent dog bites.

The older man and woman fled the scene, but were stopped by police a short time later.

The 55–year–old man was arrested, and may face charges of assault causing bodily harm.

He’ll be in court on May 9.