'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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'