Officer injured after man rams RCMP cruiser in Lake Country

KELOWNA – A Kelowna man reported as behaving erratically was arrested after ramming a police cruiser driven by a Lake Country Mountie.

Kelowna RCMP spokesman Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a press release a 66-year-old Kelowna man was arrested under the Mental Health Act after officers responded to reports of a distraught male was yelling and screaming outside his residence in the 700 block of Beaver Lake Road.

O’Donaghey said officers tried to "de-escalate” the situation but the man jumped into his vehicle, ramming a police cruiser twice before taking off.

Police used unmarked vehicles and the RCMP helicopter to track the man who was arrested once he returned home. He was given a full medical assessment and is facing charges.

O’Donaghey says the officer involved in the crash continues to recover from her injuries, described as non-life threatening.


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John McDonald

John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca