A man “in crisis” in Kelowna parked his vehicle lengthwise across two lanes on the William R. Bennett Bridge, shutting down the vital roadway that connects Kelowna to West Kelowna, the RCMP said.
Police responded to a call early Monday morning after they said a middle aged man who claims to be a taxi driver from Penticton blocked the lanes and lit a small fire inside the vehicle. Further investigation revealed the man made disturbing social media posts hours earlier.
“The doors of this vehicle have been sealed shut so don’t even think that you will be able to open them up,” stated Roy Winter in a Facebook post. “If you try just remember the phrase I will introduce you to GOD at the same time I introduce myself … Inside this vehicle is 60 pounds of highly volatile material that requires nothing more than a stupid human to make a simple mistake and regret their decision.”
In the rambling statement, Winter blamed Kelowna RCMP, the Hell’s Angels and Kelowna Cabs for his frustrations and subsequent actions this morning.
A bomb squad from Vancouver was brought in to handle the bizarre situation. Winter has been taken into custody and the car was removed after explosives experts determined it was safe. The bridge remains closed.
The William R. Bennett bridge is a vital chokepoint for Kelowna. Ron Berlie, president of Penticton Search and Rescue, told CBC earlier today that his team responded to several reports of vehicles being stranded on forest service roads as people try to navigate around the closure.
According to multiple sources, firefighters had to ferry medical workers from the western shores of Okanagan Lake to hospitals in Kelowna to maintain health care services.
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