Man with axe smashes bank windows

A shocking incident of vandalism in Kelowna, and so far, the motive is not known.

Police say a man got out of a white Hyundai with an axe and proceeded to smash multiple windows and uttered threats at a bank located in the 1600 block of Ellis Street around 7:30 a.m. this morning (Jan. 30).

“This was unprovoked, and the male was unknown to witnesses,” Const. Mike Della-Paolera, media relations officer, said.

RCMP along with the Emergency Response Team talked to witnesses to identify the suspect, which allowed them to get a licence plate number for the vehicle.

“At approximately 9 a.m., officers located the male still in his vehicle, parked on a dead-end street in the Ellison area of Kelowna and successfully blocked him from leaving, using their police vehicles. With the assistance of the Kelowna Police Dog Service, the male was arrested without incident,” Della-Paolera explained.

The suspect is being held in police custody pending further investigation.

“These type of unprovoked attacks on our local businesses are concerning to the RCMP,” Della-Paolera said. “Officers will continue this investigation in order to understand why he carried out this attack on the bank and then fled.”

RCMP are asking witnesses who have yet to speak with police, or that may have dash camera recordings that captured the incident, to contact the Kelowna RCMP non-emergency number at (250) 762-3300 and reference file number 2023-5368.