Reports of man with gun bring flood of police

RCMP in Kelowna converged on an area near the city’s hospital Wednesday night after reports of a man brandishing what appeared to be a gun.

The calls started coming into police around 11 p.m. on Feb. 3. of a man walking around the 2000-block of Pandosy Street carrying what was described as a shotgun, leading to a priority response from Mounties.

“Frontline officers immediately flooded the area to search for the individual,” Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we also notified the Kelowna General Hospital so that they could take steps to ensure the safety of their staff and patients.”

Officers located and arrested a suspect a short time later and the investigation determined the object described as a shotgun was, in fact, a tire iron.

The man was released from custody and no charges will be pursued.