Contributed by Bill Shannon
A man appears to be in police custody after a lengthy chase in the Penticton on Friday night, with a witness noting the police removal.
Bill Shannon was waiting in front of Safeway for his daughter to finish shopping when she saw a man carrying an ax with axes.
“I thought, maybe he’s a camper, I really thought that in the beginning,” he said. “A lady came out of the door at the far end, and this man then turned to her and went straight to her. Then I watched him grip the ax, swinging.
Shannon said he saw the man continue to follow the woman through the parking lot toward Main Street.
“I see him hiding the ax in the back of his pants and then covering it with his hood. I say to myself, “Okay, that’s hiding it, something’s going on.” So I called 911. “
Shannon called police shortly before 9 p.m. and told the operator where the person appeared to be headed. Shannon soon saw police cars flying into the area.
“I take to the street where I see these cops parked now and I think, ‘I can go check it out and see if they need a witness or something,’ and we stopped and it was intense,” Shannon said.
As police approached the suspect, Shannon said he saw the man start running through the yards of nearby residents, jumping over fences while officers chased him.
Officers caught up with the suspects at a nearby preschool, where Shannon said he saw the removal unfold. His daughter caught the action in front of a camera.
Shannon was relieved when police caught his face.
“I’m just glad they caught him,” he said. “It’s getting dark and this guy is crazy walking with an ax in his hand.”
Castanet turned to the RCMP for more information.
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