An hours-long standoff at a Gordon Drive residence ended peacefully Wednesday night and is considered to be an isolated event.
The Kelowna RCMP with the assistance of the Southeast District Critical Incident Program arrested a man at approximately 9:40 p.m., ending the lengthy standoff, RCMP said in a statement.
RCMP said the investigation is ongoing and criminal charges may be pending. What prompted the high-profile police incident and what charges are pending remain to be seen.
At 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Kelowna RCMP responded to a report of an incident at a residence in the 3000 block of Gordon Drive near KLO.
Witnesses on the scene reported seeing smoke canisters being deployed and RCMP members were using a loudspeaker to communicate with people inside the home. Others reported seeing windows broken. Some nearby homes were evacuated while others were asked to stay indoors.
Through it all, however, RCMP said officers were working with the techniques and tools they have at hand to de-escalate and resolve the issue.
“Last night’s incident at a residence on Gordon Drive in Kelowna, was an isolated event. Homes near-by were evacuated as a precaution and for safety purposes,” RCMP said.
Once the subject involved was apprehended all residents were permitted back in their homes.
“I am proud of the response of the Kelowna RCMP Members and our SED-CIP to quickly respond to this high risk situation and bring it to a peaceful resolution. The highly trained members of the CIP-SED worked in tandem with our frontline officers in accordance with their training and experience, which is something our officers do every day to protect the citizens of Kelowna,” Insp. Adam MacIntosh, Operations Officer in Kelowna and a SED-CIP Critical Incident Commander, said in a press release.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.