'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 Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.