By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

UPDATES:

11:15 a.m. Saturday, Feb 14 – Responding to Times Chronicle queries, Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha, spokesperson for the RCMP’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) said the incident in Osoyoos invovled the arrest of a “high risk offender who was wanted. South East district emergency response Team, police dog service and local RCMP assisted with the arrest of this individual. No one was injured. No risk to public,” Sgt. Sangha said, adding that this was all the information he could share at this point.

10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 – RCMP media relations based out of Surrey have indicated last night’s operation in Osoyoos was carried out by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia (CFSEU-BC), the largest integrated police program in Canada, serving as the province’s primary anti-gang agency.  The Times Chronicle is awaiting further details from the CFSEU spokesperson and will update when available.

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ORIGINAL STORY:

A major police presence of up to 20 vehicles descended on Lakeshore Drive in Osoyoos just after 10 p.m. on Friday night, according to area residents, with the focus appearing to be at the Tamri Motel and Campground.

Residents of Oliver and Keremeos reported police vehicles moving rapidly towards Osoyoos, and unmarked vehicles typically used by the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) were spotted racing down Hwy. 97 from Penticton.

Residents in the area of the Tamri Motel report that Lakeshore Road is closed in the vicinity. An area resident identified on Facebook as Jo ODonnell Hopper recorded police using a loudspeaker in which an individual appears to have been ordered by police to surrender themself.

From the audio portion of the cell phone video, police can be heard speaking to someone, but it is largely inaudible. The police then repeat the message, saying: “[inaudible] in unit six, this is the police. [inaudible] with nothing in your hands, and you will not be harmed. Come out now.”

Audio of police ordering individual to surrender:

 

As of 11:30 p.m., it’s not clear what the situation is with residents reporting police vehicles still on scene.

The Times Chronicle has reached out to the RCMP for details and will update once more information is available.