Kamloops RCMP not considering charges in false alarm home invasion

KAMLOOPS – Police won't likely press charges against a 70-year-old man who triggered a heavy RCMP response in his neighbourhood yesterday, July 14, when he made a false call about a home invasion.

Around 11:30 a.m. the man dialed 9-1-1 to report he hid in his bedroom after two men entered his home on McGill Road with guns. Once on scene, police cordoned off the surrounding area and began evacuating nearby residences. 

"Once the area was contained the victim was able to get out of the residence and meet police," Const. Jason Epp, a spokesperson for the Kamloops detachment, says in a release. "Initial impressions at the scene seemed to confirm the victims' account as the victim appeared to be highly distraught and was in respiratory distress."

Paramedics transported the man to Royal Inland Hospital. 

"Further follow up at the scene and with the victim and family began to paint a slightly different picture for police, and it appeared that the victim had been hallucinating as a result of medical conditions," Epp says. 

After entering the home, officers with the emergency response team and the K-9 unit determined there were no suspects or firearms. It is believed the man called in the home invasion because of hallucinations related to medical conditions.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.