'Near-death' situation for men who tried to stop car-jacking: RCMP

UPDATE: Tuesday March 8.

The B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed Tuesday that Kenneth Patrick Morrison was charged with attempted murder and robbery following the incident Monday.

He was remanded in custody and will appear next on March 11, 2022 in Kelowna provincial court.

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Kelowna RCMP have a man in custody after an extraordinary series of violent events Monday that included the firing of a gun, a car-jacking, ‘a near-death experience’ for two Good Samaritans who tried to help out, and another attempted car-jacking.

Around 8 a.m. the male suspect, who was driving a stolen truck, allegedly caused a collision involving two other vehicles at Glenmore Road and Snowsell Road. The crash seriously injured one motorist.

The suspect then attempted to steal a car that had stopped by assaulting the driver and discharging a firearm at one of two men who’d stopped and tried to assist after the collision. Police said a struggle ensued between the Samaritans and the suspect who then stole a pick-up truck and fled the area.

The Southeast District Emergency Response Team (ERT), RCMP Air Services, and officers from Kelowna and West Kelowna coordinated their efforts, and shortly before 11 a.m. the suspect in the stolen truck was stopped on Grizzly Road in West Kelowna.

The suspect ran from his vehicle to Highway 97, where he attempted to steal another vehicle before he was arrested.

At a media conference later in the day, Inspector Adam MacIntosh, Operations Officer of the Kelowna RCMP, said the actions of the two men who had got out of their vehicles to help after the collision on Glenmore Road could have been killed.

Samaritans lucky to escape unharmed

“Like any good citizen, they saw an accident and they stopped and wanted to help these people, certainly not expecting the reaction they had,” he explained. “ They experienced, I would argue, a potentially near-death situation, all based on trying to help one another. And that’s a pretty amazing thing.”

RCMP confirmed they’d fired 40-millimetre soft rounds at the suspect to make the arrest in West Kelowna later in the morning. One round struck the suspect.

RCMP are unsure if the incident is gang related, but it is part of their investigation. When asked if this individual was known to police, MacIntosh, said “probably.”

Asked why the public was not notified about the coordinated search for the suspect after the initial collision on Glenmore Road, Macintosh said officers kept things covert for public safety reasons. He noted the suspect would drive normally when he thought he wasn’t being followed but there was a risk he’d drive erratically if he saw police.

“We believe this individual likely would have done just about anything to get away,” MacIntosh said.

The suspect, 33, was transported to hospital and treated for the minor injuries he sustained during the collision.

RCMP said he is currently in police custody and could possibly be facing charges related to his arrest. As a result of this investigation, officers seized three firearms from the suspect.

Investigators are also asking anyone with dash-cam video who was in the area of the collision on Glenmore Road or Highway 97 in West Kelowna, to contact the Robbery Unit at 250-762-3300.

To remain completely anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net