Negotiator called in to help Penticton RCMP safely arrest ‘assaultive’ man

Penticton RCMP set up a containment area in a Penticton neighbourhood early this morning to make an arrest.

Officers were alerted to a situation on the 700 block of Winnipeg Street at 4:30 a.m. today, Feb. 12, according to an RCMP press release.

When police arrived they learned a 29-year-old man inside the residence was “being assaultive” and possibly had a firearm.

Officers established a containment area and neighbours were notified to keep away. They tried to call the man outside to arrest him but he did not comply, so the RCMP called in the Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiators for backup.

READ MORE: RCMP looking for owners of 300K worth of property stolen in Penticton, Lake Country

The containment area remained in place for “a few hours in the morning” to keep the neighbourhood safe.

After “numerous” attempts to negotiate with the man he eventually surrendered to police outside of a residence.

“We are fortunate no one was hurt during this situation,” Staff Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck of the Penticton RCMP said in the release.

“Through the use of specialized resources available to the RCMP we were able to promptly mitigate the risk to both the public and the police and ensure no one was injured.”

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