A 30-year-old Lake Country man is facing charges in connection with a crime spree in Lake Country over the weekend.
Police said it was around 7 a.m. Sunday when emergency crews responded to a report of arson that had allegedly just been committed outside a home in the 2500 block of Robinson Road.
Laine Thygesen, who lives nearby, said she was having a Sunday morning coffee on her patio when she heard her neighbour yelling “fire” and saw smoke.
According to police, the man believed to have set the blaze was chased from the scene by a resident of the home.
“A frightful scene…to discover that there is a fire outside their house,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey of the Kelowna RCMP said.
Police couldn’t say if the arson was targeted or what motivated the arsonist but did confirm the homeowner didn’t know the suspect.
“Unfortunately, it is a little scary because it sounds very random. It is not like it was targeted at all. It was random. It could have been any of us,” said Thygesen.
The fire was put out and didn’t spread to the house, but the resident who gave chase was injured.
Thygesen said the man’s pajamas caught on fire.
However, the incident didn’t end with the fire.
Police said the arson suspect, who was last seen fleeing into an orchard, then stole a pickup truck.
The vehicle ended up crashing on Lake Hill Drive in the Lakes subdivision.
Police said the suspect once again fled from the scene on foot.
“Just minutes before 9 a.m., Mounties honed in their search to the 13000 block of East Ridge Drive, after they received multiple reports of a suspicious male, matching their suspect’s description and seen hoping over fences by area residents,” O’Donaghey said.
“With the support of the Kelowna RCMP, members of the Lake Country RCMP managed to locate and apprehend the male, without further incident and before he entered into a wooded area.”
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O’Donaghey said the suspect arrested originally wasn’t giving police “a proper name.”
“It took some effort to positively identify this individual,” O’Donaghey said.
Anyone in the area who may have been victimized in any way and has not yet spoken to police is urged to contact the Lake Country RCMP Detachment at 250-766-2288.
Thirty-year-old Matthew David Hanson has been charged with arson causing bodily harm and break and enter with intent to commit an offense.
His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 24.
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