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Okanagan man arrested after chasing women with baseball bat

Vigilante thought the women were involved in a theft from his home
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A man allegedly trying to take justice into his own hands is now facing charges.

After reporting a break-in and theft at his home overnight March 30, an Oyama man suspected two women were involved and chased them with a baseball bat.

The resident, who lives in the 14000 block of Oyama Road, and another man located some of the stolen property near the boat launch on Wood Lake.

Two women approached the area that the items were stashed in, and one of the men allegedly chased both women with a baseball bat.

The women fled in a vehicle that was pursued by the men in their own vehicle.

Lake Country RCMP rushed to the area and stopped the suspect vehicle.

A 43-year-old Lake Country man was arrested. He has since been released on conditions for a future court date.

“Our officers conducted an investigation and determined that there was no evidence that the two women had anything to do with the break-in, or the stolen items,” Lake Country commander Sgt. Jon Collins said.

“When people decide to bypass law enforcement and take matters into their own hands it can lead to dangerous situations that put innocent people in danger and land vigilantes in trouble with the law themselves.”

The incident was turned into a public warning on social media to not go on the Okanagan Rail Trail alone.

A friend of the victim shared a post on TikTok, which went viral on Facebook, about the ‘attack,’ which she says took place at the dog park in Oyama.

“She went for a dog walk,” the post reads. “A man came down from the rail trail and said to her, “you’re going to enjoy this more than me,” and ran at her with a baseball bat.

“She ran through the woods until she got to the rail trail and saw him get him in the vehicle with another man with a video camera,” the post reads. “She saw another girl running on the trail and told her to, ‘run he is going to kill us.’”

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Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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