KELOWNA – A bizarre incident in downtown Kelowna Friday morning, after three separate assaults, including one involving an RCMP officer whose cruiser had been smashed into.
The first attack happened at about 8:15 a.m., when Kelowna RCMP received a call about an assault in the alleyway behind Prospera Place, where a West Kelowna man was assaulted after refusing to turn over his keys.
Police say the suspect was “reportedly behaving very irrationally” and fled on foot.
RCMP also received a report of another man being robbed on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna.
“It’s alleged that the suspect then stole a child’s backpack being carried by the child’s father. The suspect allegedly assaulted the father, a 45-year-old man, in front of his 8-year-old daughter,” says Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey in a press release.
Shayanne Tensen, a coffee shop employee, witnessed the fight, describing the incident as strange.
“Usually after a physical altercation with anybody, people are usually shaky. He was very stone-faced and seemed like the situation didn’t even happen,” says Tensen.
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“When he was fighting with the gentleman he was like laughing…it was just so weird.”
RCMP say the man then attempted to flee in a grey Ford sedan.
An officer stationed on Ellis Street near the Queensway Bus Exchange responded to the call. As he turned his vehicle around, the Ford sedan t-boned the police cruiser.
Officers say the man then got out and ran up to the driver-side window of the patrol car, where he began to strike the police officer inside.
David Sharpe, a nearby construction worker, heard the car accident and ran to the scene within seconds to administer first aid.
“My response was: I’m a first aid attendant, go over and check for injuries. That’s when I’d seen the suspect in the cop car, beating on the cop. It was hard to comprehend at first,” says Sharpe.
Sharpe says he held the man down, with the help of others, until officers were able to arrest him.
“I’d seen the officer come up out of the passenger seat and looking kind of dazed, as probably everybody was, everything happened so fast,” says Sharpe.
WATCH: Witness, David Sharpe, who helped take down the suspect, describes what he saw.
“Nearby construction workers were quick to jump into action to assist the police officer still stunned from the impact of the collision,” says Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey. “They aided the officer in controlling the suspect who was subsequently taken into police custody.”
RCMP say the suspect, a 42-year-old man from Chase, B.C., is believed to be involved in the incident at Bliss Bakery. He is known to police.
The suspect faces potential charges of assault, robbery, aggravated assault, assault of a police officer and resist lawful arrest.
The police officer has been treated for non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released from hospital.
— with files from Lauren Pullen
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