Nervous Pentictonites attempting to pass through the intersection of Winnipeg and Eckhardt this evening could be forgiven if they thought they were seeing another chapter in today's car-hijacking saga.
Rumours spawned by the hijacking were swirling early tonight on social media. One, quickly proven false, involved an active shooter at Penticton Hospital. Another concerned an apparent report of shots fired and a collision involving an RCMP cruiser, both near downtown.
The accident was factual. And it certainly looked dramatic enough.
Residents coming upon the intersection early in the evening saw an SUV pinned in the middle of a wedge formed by a white Chevrolet pickup on the left and an RCMP cruiser on the right. And there were plenty of other police and emergency vehicles stopped on the surrounding streets.
But according to Captain Wes Swaren of the Penticton Fire Department, who attended the incident, it was far more innocent.
"It was a three-car MVA involving a police cruiser," he told PentictonNow. "It occurred at 19:29:30 (7:29 p.m.). There were no injuries. Everyone walked away from it."
"I came on the scene after the fact, but from what I understand, it had nothing to do with what went on earlier today."
By 8:30, all three vehicles were in the process of being removed.
More updates if warranted.
