Pair of men face charges after spotted wearing balaclavas

VERNON – Police are recommending charges against a pair of men caught with weapons and balaclavas.

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police received a report of two men near Fruit Union Plaza wearing masks and gloves around 10:40 a.m. Jan. 17.

Officers found the suspects in the area, no longer wearing balaclavas, and searched them.

One of the suspects, a 26-year-old man well-known to police, had two knives and a baton on him, while the second man, 18, was in possession of a hunting knife.

“The story the 18-year-old told our officers is that he was afraid some guys were going to beat him up so he asked his friend to escort him home,” Molendyk says.

Both individuals were arrested and released on a promise to appear. Police are recommending both men be charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.