Store manager helps Kelowna RCMP arrest thief

The manager of a Kelowna store got an early wake up call this morning when someone broke into the business.

At about 5:36 a.m. today, Oct. 3, the manager was alerted to someone breaking into the fenced yard at a business the 1900 block of Bredin Road in Kelowna, according to an RCMP media release. RCMP do not identify the business.

By the time police arrived, the manager had already confronted a male suspect.

The suspect had fled on foot, but the officers managed to find and arrest him.

A 27-year-old man originally from the Lower Mainland was arrested and taken into custody with a court appearance scheduled for today.

Officers found two wagons, with the company’s property stickers on them, that had been pushed through a hole in the yard’s fence.

Turns out the suspect has a long criminal record for offences like shoplifting, car theft, causing a disturbance and assault, 200 police files in total. RCMP said he has been convicted 33 times since 2017.

RCMP do not identify the suspect.

“If not for the quick actions of the store manager and response from our front line officers this individual would still be at large in our community,” Kelowna RCMP media relations officer Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release.

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