'This was a bizarre incident': Man arrested after kayakers struck by log pushed off cliff near Nanaimo
Mounties say a pair of kayakers are lucky to have escaped serious injury after a man pushed a large log over a cliff and onto their boats in the waters off Nanaimo, B.C.
One man has been arrested in connection with the Aug. 6 incident near Jesse Island, at the entrance to Departure Bay.
The kayakers, a 43-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, told police they were paddling past the island around 6:45 p.m. when someone began yelling at them from the cliff above.
Police say the kayakers had a "short exchange with the individual" and continued paddling until a few minutes later when they saw the person push a large log off the cliff, striking the woman on the back and knocking her into the water.
The log also struck the man but he managed to stay in his kayak, police said Wednesday.
The man helped the woman to shore where several witnesses reported the incident to police, the RCMP said.
Mounties used a Nanaimo Port Authority vessel to attend the island, where they arrested a 37-year-old man for assault with a weapon.
The RCMP say officers measured the log at approximately 6 metres long by 20 centimetres thick. (RCMP)
The suspect was later released from custody pending an appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on Nov. 9.
"This was a bizarre incident and, given the size and weight of the log and distance it fell, the log could have caused significant injury to both persons," said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien.
Police say officers measured the log at approximately 6 metres long by 20 centimetres thick.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.