The Kelowna RCMP police boat is pictured in this contributed photo.
Image Credit: Contributed/Tami Quan
July 07, 2017 - 2:59 PM
WEST KELOWNA – Rented personal watercraft were used to endanger the lives of several people on Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna yesterday – one of them was a two-year-old child.
“West Kelowna RCMP have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged careless and reckless actions of as many as four individuals operating personal watercraft on Okanagan Lake last evening,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a media release.
West Kelowna RCMP were told yesterday, July 6, that a group of personal watercraft operators performed a “power slide” around a vessel on the lake at about 4 p.m.
The vessel was swamped with water and a two-year-old child was knocked overboard, O’Donaghey says.
"Thankfully the couple said their child was wearing a life jacket at the time and was surprisingly unharmed during what was likely a frightening ordeal for that toddler,” he says.
A second man told police a group of Sea Doo operators were “ripping around on the water extremely close to his boat” that same day.
“Police later learned that not only was the man's boat swamped with water, which soaked his BBQ rendering it inoperable and caused some of his personal items to be lost overboard, but his vessel was actually struck by one of the personal watercrafts," O’Donaghey says.
The group was last seen travelling southbound towards a sail boat south of Okanagan Lake Resort.
“RCMP have reason to believe that the personal watercrafts used by the group were rental units. The investigation is underway, as efforts are made to identify the individuals associated to the rentals and gather additional evidence, including witness statements.”
RCMP are asking potential witnesses or victims to come forward and contact the West Kelowna Detachment at 250-768-2880.
“RCMP would also like to encourage the four individuals to take responsibility for their actions and come forward to police.”
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017