A man who called the police on himself after claiming someone had been stabbed, is now in the hospital after being shot with a sponge round.
The Independent Investigations Office was contacted by the Penticton RCMP following the Aug. 12 incident. The B.C. police watchdog is now investigating.
According to a press release from the RCMP, officers received a call around 5 a.m. alleging that a person was being stabbed on the beach next to Skaha Lake.
The caller then allegedly indicated that the armed suspect was coming towards him before the call was dropped.
Responding officers were unable to find the alleged stabbing victim, and while on scene the caller phoned a second time to state the alleged suspect was near the washrooms at the beach.
According to the press release, the officers found a man with his face covered near the washrooms. The man refused to comply with RCMP's instructions.
After a "less lethal use of force 40 mm ballistic round" was deployed, the man was taken into custody and to the hospital for assessment, where he is currently being treated for a possible serious injury.
The IIO stated that the initial investigation confirmed that the man鈥檚 injuries met the threshold of serious harm, and further investigation will determine if police actions were necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to the circumstances.
