Man who allegedly reported fake stabbing on Penticton beach seriously injured by police

The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) has launched a probe into police actions that led to a man being seriously injured in Penticton early Monday morning.

Penticton RCMP reported that the man called 911 multiple times to report a stabbing on the beach at Skaha Lake, which turned out to be false.

Eventually, an altercation between responding officers and the man in a public washroom ended up in the man suffering what the RCMP called “a possible serious injury.”

The first call for help from the man came in around 5:10 am on Monday, as he reported the stabbing on the beach at the Penticton end of Skaha Lake.

“The complainant then indicated that the armed suspect was coming towards him before the call was dropped,” noted an RCMP release.

Officers arrived at the scene and could not find a victim, but another 911 call was received from the same man who said the suspect was now by the washrooms.

Police responded to the washrooms and found a man with his face covered inside, who allegedly refused to comply with officers’ directions.

As a result, the RCMP says a “less-lethal use of force 40-millimetre ballistic round” was deployed and struck the man, who was taken into custody without incident.

“The man was apprehended and taken to hospital for medical assessment and is being treated for a possible serious injury,” the RCMP explained.

“Police have now been able to determine that the man taken into custody was the same person that had made the 911 calls and there was no victim from the original call.”

The IIO BC says initial investigative steps have confirmed that the man’s injuries meet the threshold of “serious harm.”

A further probe will determine if police actions were necessary, reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances.

An IIO BC release notes that the man was in possession of a weapon when arrested.

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