B.C. police confirm they are investigating a violent incident at a Vernon skatepark Tuesday evening (March 16).
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Tania Finn says the altercation happened about 6 p.m. at Polson Park, between a middle-aged woman and a group of youths over an allegedly stolen skateboard.
"The woman saw the skateboard unattended on the grass near the skatepark and believed it to be the same skateboard stolen from her son the week previously," says Finn.
"When the woman went to retrieve the skateboard, she was surrounded by a group of youths. A confrontation occurred which resulted in the woman being struck in the face by one of the youths."
When a third party intervened, the group of youths fled, says Finn.
The male suspect is described as:
- White
- About 15 years old
- 5'5"
- Wavy blonde hair
- Wearing a blue sweater
Video posted to a local Facebook group by Jay Sharma Tuesday night shows a grey-haired woman holding a skateboard, claiming it had been stolen from her son.
She is also holding a baton as she confronts the large group of youths gathered around her.
As the argument over the skateboard gets heated, a teenager snatches the board away from the woman, and then things get physical.
The woman is held back by one teen as another winds up and punches her in the face.
The incident appears to quickly end after the punch is thrown, and it's also not known if the woman was injured in the melee.
“If you’re this kid’s mom, you should be ashamed,” Sharma wrote on the post.
The post has accumulated more than 150 comments, with many slamming the teen’s actions, but some accusing the woman of threatening the group.
The video of the event is so full of profanity Glacier Media is not sharing it, but the above screenshot clearly shows the youth winding up to punch the woman.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Const. Derzak at 250-545-7171, anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online to www.nokscrimestoppers.com.
