On Tuesday, January 27th, Kelowna B.C. drivers faced a frustrating morning commute as the William Bennett Bridge was closed for 11 hours due to a police investigation unit.
Kelowna RCMP officers were called to the bridge at 3:45 a.m. after a person believed to be in distress parked a white panel van with a “Mr. Chill Ice Cream” logo on the eastbound lane.
Inspector Chris Goebel, acting officer in charge of the detachment, reports that when the police arrived on the scene, the man inside the vehicle made threats “concerning his well-being” to police and set a fire inside the van. Firefighters extinguished the fire and the man was sent to the hospital and later taken into custody by the police.
The RCMP did not comment on a name for the suspect, or comment on the social media post put up early Monday morning. The post suggested that the van contained “60 pounds of highly volatile material” and claimed the plans for the vehicle involved a live stream.
The RCMP’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EPU) was called for help and arrived in Kelowna from the Lower Mainland at 1 p.m. After an hour, at 2:18 p.m., the EPU declared the vehicle safe for transport and the vehicle was towed.
The road delays lasted for hours after the vehicle was removed, and local news sources say that as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 28, the bridge’s traffic has finally returned to normal.
Michael Gautier, Kelowna RCMP media relations author, reports in a statement that “the investigation remains ongoing and no further details will be provided at this time.”
He continues, stating “I’d like to acknowledge and thank all of our partner agencies for coming together and working through this incident. Thank you especially to the public for understanding and remaining patient while this matter was resolved safely.”
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