Man brandishing tire iron arrested near Kelowna hospital

A man brandishing a tire iron walking around Kelowna's Pandosy Street was arrested by RCMP officers last night.

The Kelowna RCMP carried out a priority response late last night, Feb. 3, to reports of a man brandishing a gun near Kelowna General Hospital at roughly 11 p.m., according to the RCMP in a media release.

“Frontline officers immediately flooded the area to search for the individual,” said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy, of the Kelowna RCMP, in the media release.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we also notified the Kelowna General Hospital so that they could take steps to ensure the safety of their staff and patients.”

Interior Health confirmed the hospital was closed for roughly one hour as a precaution.

Police officers located and arrested the suspect a short time later and determined that the object described as a shotgun was actually a tire iron.

The man was released from custody and no charges have been laid. 

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