Attempted murder charge laid after attack on Kelowna Mountie

An attempted murder charge has been laid after the stabbing of a Mountie in Kelowna over the weekend.

Police say the officer received a serious stab wound above the eye during the incident Saturday, March 26 on the 1000 block of Ellis Street.

RCMP were called to the area to deal with an unwanted persons complaint involving people who were camped on the private property of a building.

Police said the officer that was injured found a man related to the call and engaged him in an initial conversation.

“Within a minute, dispatchers received an emergency notification from the officer’s portable radio, indicating the officer needed immediate assistance. It is alleged, the male produced a knife and attacked the officer resulting in the officer receiving a serious stab wound above their eye,” said Cpl. Tammy Lobb, media relations officer.

“The officer fought to gain control of the suspect while waiting for back up and during this time, discharged their firearm. The suspect was not wounded as a result but began to harm himself with the knife.”

The suspect was arrested once more Mounties arrived.

The officer was taken to hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries. That person has since been treated and released and is recovering at home.

The suspect suffered non-life threatening, self-inflicted injuries to his neck and he was committed under the Mental Health Act.

Richard McCrea, 39, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, attempt to disarm a police officer, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and resist arrest. He has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance on April 11, 2022.

Adam MacIntosh, operations officer for Kelowna RCMP, said their officers often deal with people who have complex issues.

“I would like to thank two citizens who came to the aid of the officer during the attack. As you know police work carries inherent risk and this weekend is a clear example. Our officer was faced with a fight for their life and both their training and resilience prevailed in that alley Sunday morning. Our thoughts are with them and their family,” MacIntosh stated.

The investigation into the incident in ongoing.