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Salmo man arrested in Shuswap RV park after 5-hour standoff

Tear gas used in Malakwa arrest by Salmon Arm, Sicamous RCMP and region’s Emergency Response Team
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Sicamous RCMP, assisted by Salmon Arm RCMP and Kelowna specialized forces, arrested a Salmo man on two outstanding warrants in a Malakwa RV park on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Black Press file photo)

After a five-hour standoff which ended with tear gas, a Salmo man with two outstanding warrants was arrested in a Shuswap RV park on Tuesday.

According to a media release issued by Sicamous Sgt. Murray McNeil, on March 21 around 10 a.m., Sicamous RCMP attempted to arrest 55-year-old Jeffrey Dean Smith outside his RV in a Malakwa RV park.

The man ignored police requests and went inside his trailer. Police then attempted to negotiate but the man refused to come out. Sgt. McNeil said police were concerned for officers’ safety and the safety of the public in the RV park as one of the man’s warrants involved a firearms offence.

Sicamous RCMP were joined by Salmon Arm officers, making sure the area was contained and nearby RVs were vacated. The South East District Emergency Response Team from Kelowna arrived to assist with arresting the barricaded man.

Many people throughout the region reported on social media seeing several police vehicles with lights flashing heading east along Highway 1.

At 3 p.m., about five hours after the standoff began, ERT members used tear gas to flush the man out of the RV and he was arrested. Several residents of the park were unable to return to their RVs during the standoff.

Smith was taken to a cell at the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment. He was set to appear before a judge on March 22 for a scheduled bail hearing.

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Read more: UPDATE: RCMP confirm incident taking place in Malakwa area, public not at risk

Read more: 2021-Sicamous RCMP investigate suspicious death of woman early New Year’s Day



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Rebecca Willson

About the Author: Rebecca Willson

I took my first step into the journalism industry in November 2022 when I moved to Salmon Arm to work for the Observer and Eagle Valley News. I graduated with a journalism degree in December 2021 from MacEwan University in Edmonton.
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