Easily identifiable suspect not so easy when police discover two men with matching descriptions

PENTICTON – Penticton RCMP thought they had their man, but following a description of an easily identifiable suspect resulted in a case of mistaken identity prior to officers finding the true suspect.

Police spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said police responded to Main Street near Boston Pizza around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 after a witness reported a man with a mohawk haircut and tattoos on his face pulling a gun on two unsuspecting men walking in front of him.

Police conducted extensive patrols of the area, identifying a man fitting the suspect’s description near the former Bel-Air Motel. He was taken into custody but police discovered he wasn’t the right man.

A short time later, around 10:50 a.m., police spotted a second individual in the same area near Speedy Muffler, also matching the description of the suspect as having tattoos on his face and a mohawk haircut.

The man was found to be carrying a replica toy handgun.

Police learned the man, a resident of Kelowna, had been released from custody in Oliver on Oct. 18, and had been assessed by the community crisis response team after several calls to police about his behaviour on Oct. 19.

The response team found the man to be intoxicated by drugs.

Police also discovered the man had a warrant issued out of Kelowna, where he was remanded for court.

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