Woman punched by stranger in downtown Kelowna

A woman walking along a downtown Kelowna street was punched by a strange man yesterday afternoon.

She was walking along the sidewalk on Mill Street at Queensway talking on her cellphone yesterday, July 12, at around 1 p.m. when an unknown man yelled and swore at her, according to an RCMP release.

The suspect followed her and with no provocation took a swing, hitting her in the head and knocking her phone out of her hand, RCMP said.

He spit on her and grabbed her hair, and it was at that point bystanders stepped in and took matters into their own hands.

That’s when RCMP received a report of a dozen people beating up a man.

“We never ask or encourage our members of the public to become physically involved when a crime is taking place,” Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release.

“However, in this particular case the actions of these individuals assisted someone in need, stopped the assault from continuing and allowed police to make an immediate arrest.”

RCMP say it was an isolated incident.

The suspect was taken into custody and is facing assault and mischief charges. He was held in custody for a court appearance this afternoon.

If you witnessed the assault and haven’t spoken with police, or have cell phone recordings, you’re asked to contact Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 and reference file number 2023-39940.

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