Kelowna man may face charges after starting fight with homeless person

A confrontation between a Kelowna resident and two homeless men earlier this month led to knife wounds to the resident but possible charges as well.

The incident happened at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday, July 2, in the 2100 block of Vasile Road, according to an RCMP media release issued today, July 6.

"Investigators determined that an upset resident confronted two individuals experiencing homelessness and then proceeded to berate and assault one of them by pushing him to the ground," reads the release. "The other male brandished a knife."

The resident took a couple of kicks at the man with the knife which resulted in two cuts to his own leg.

“The male holding the knife, along with the other individual who was pushed, used explicit language repeatedly yelling at the man to leave them alone and get back in his vehicle,” the news release says. “The resident who confronted the individuals retreated and left the area.”

The man with the knife was arrested but released while the investigation continues.

The resident was treated in hospital for minor injuries and released.

“We have high quality video and audio of the incident and it’s abundantly clear to us what happened,” Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Michael Gauthier said in the release.

“We are still awaiting a fulsome statement from the man who sustained injuries to his leg and we will recommend charges to the BC Prosecution Service against anyone who has met the elements of a criminal offence.”


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics