A man is facing assault charges in Kelowna after a group of bystanders helped a female fend off an attacker.
R-C-M-P say the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon when a male approached a female stranger as she walked along the sidewalk and swung at her, grabbed her hair and spit at her.
The Mounties say several bystanders jumped in to help the victim who suffered minor injuries.
They're asking for anyone else who witnessed the assault or who has video footage of it to contact them.
A statement from Abbotsford Police says "An unidentified man exited the rear of the female’s car and demanded belongings from the victim. During this time, the victim was attacked by the man, who struck the victim with a hammer."
In the videotaped statement shown in court, McCallum says he recognized Debi Johnstone as a campaigner for a group wanting to keep the RCMP in Surrey while he was planning to replace it with a municipal police force.
Traci Johal is described as a South Asian woman, 5’6”, 125 lbs., with shoulder-length dyed dark blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a white blouse, black or grey leggings, a black sweater and black running shoes. Her family and police are concerned about her well-being.
A statement from RCMP in the Fraser Valley city says police were called to the home in a rural area of Chilliwack on Tuesday afternoon. Officers determined the deaths appeared suspicious and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now leading the case.
The coroners inquest probed the November 2016 death of Daniel Rintoul, who attacked and stabbed a staff member, tried to steal a gun from a gun case and took a hostage at an east Vancouver Canadian Tire. The 38-year-old, nearly six-foot, 350-pound man was shot nine times after repeatedly stabbing one of the officers who was trying to arrest him.
British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix, who called it a "disappointing" end to the meetings, had previously said provincial and territorial ministers were united behind a request for federal funding to be increased to 35 per cent, up from 22 per cent.