Kelowna RCMP say one of the city's popular Pianos in the Park has been damaged by a man seen yelling and swearing as he walked along the city's lakeshore promenade
Friday morning a member of the RCMP's downtown bike patrol and a city bylaw officer responded to multiple calls reporting mischief in progress in Stuart Park concerning the piano.
The callers reported a man was damaging one of the brightly coloured pianos, which are placed along the waterfront, as well as in other parks in the city.
“An officer with the Kelowna RCMP bike patrol unit, partnered with a City of Kelowna bylaw officer, intercepted the man not far from the scene,” says Const. Jesse O’Donaghey of the Kelowna RCMP.
“(The man) was placed under arrest and taken into custody without incident."
The suspect, a 23-year-old Kelowna man of no fixed address, faces potential charges of mischief and cause a disturbance. He remains in police custody at this time.
Police are asking witnesses who have not yet spoken to them to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.
This is not the first time a piano at that location has been damaged. Last July, shortly after the pianos were first installed at various locations around downtown, the piano stool and the front of the piano located on the lakeshore promenade in Stuart Park were smashed.
On the whole, however, there has been relatively little vandalism done to the pianos since they were first put out for the public play last summer.