UPDATE: North Okanagan RCMP say a “dynamic” incident that included shots being allegedly fired from a vehicle resulted in the closure of Highway 97 at Westwold on Tuesday morning.
Police say two people were arrested in the incident, which also included Westwold’s elementary school undergoing lockdown procedures and the RCMP using a spike belt to stop the suspect vehicle.
According to the RCMP, the incident started just before 8 a.m., when police were notified of a suspicious vehicle in the Falkland area.
“RCMP officers controlled access to the highway and strategically set up roadblocks in an attempt to safely stop the vehicle,” said RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
“The driver failed to stop for police and allegedly fired shots from the vehicle as it fled from our officers, posing a serious risk to public safety.”
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A spike belt stopped the vehicle just east of Westwold, where police say two occupants were taken into custody without further incident.
Police say assisting in the arrest were the Southeast District’s Emergency Response Team, an RCMP plane and police dog services.
The RCMP noted that they ordered the lock down of Westwold Elementary School, citing “out of an abundance of caution.” That order has since been lifted.
Police say they are not aware of any serious injuries at this time.
Anyone who witnessed this incident or has video regarding it is asked to contact the North Okanagan RCMP at 250-546-3028.
ORIGINAL STORY:
DriveBC is reporting that Highway 97 is closed at Westwold because of a police incident.
Westwold is located on a long straight stretch between Monte Lake and Falkland.
DriveBC says an assessment is in progress and that a detour is not available.
Global News has a camera heading to the incident.
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