Guilty in machete slashing

Photo: Derrick Antoine

A Kelowna man pleaded guilty to three separate assaults Thursday morning, including one that involved a machete and another that prompted a manhunt in Rutland this past summer.

Derrick Antoine, 29, was arrested in the evening of Aug. 16 after he stabbed his ex-girlfriend in the back earlier that morning in an apartment on the 400 block of Franklyn Road, prompting a manhunt in the Rutland area.

The woman, in her 20s, suffered a one-inch puncture wound just below her shoulder blade and was rushed to the hospital.

Upon further investigation, police determined that Antoine was also suspected of being involved in a gruesome machete attack in Rutland's Ben Lee Park eight days prior to the stabbing.

A 22-year-old man was kicked, punched and slashed across the face with a machete by two men just after midnight on Aug. 8.

Ben Lee Park is right across the street from the apartment building where the stabbing took place. 

He has remained in custody since his arrest.

Antoine pleaded guilty Thursday to assault causing bodily harm for the machete attack and assault, resisting or obstructing a peace officer and breach of bail conditions for the Aug. 16 stabbing.

Additionally, he pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from a June 28 incident.

Antoine will remain custody until his sentencing date on Jan. 12. A pre-sentence report has been ordered to help aid the judge in sentencing.