Oliver shooter arrested

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

UPDATE: 7:27 p.m.

A man suspected of being responsible for a shooting in Oliver was arrested in Princeton early Saturday afternoon, following the report of a kidnapped woman.

At about 11 a.m., the Princeton RCMP learned that a woman had allegedly been confined in her vehicle by Afshin Maleki Ighani, who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for attempted murder.

According to the RCMP, a man and woman were with Ighani in a car on Saturday in a restaurant parking lot, when Ighani ordered the man out of the car and drove away with the woman still inside.

The man then allegedly stole a motorcycle from the restaurant parking lot and attempted to follow Ighani, who had left Princeton heading eastbound. All three individuals are known to each other.

RCMP checkpoints were set up in the Keremeos area, in an attempt to intercept the vehicle, however only the male on the motorcycle was observed coming through, at which time he failed to stop for police.

Penticton RCMP officers located the stolen motorcycle, abandoned, in OK Falls shortly after. The man is still at large.

The RCMP Southeast District helicopter had been dispatched at the start of the incident, with police eventually locating the vehicle via a cell phone ping in the Manning Park area headed towards Princeton.

The vehicle was spotted by the helicopter entering Princeton where officers on the ground converged on it in a local trailer home park.

Officers noted that the vehicle was still occupied by Ighani and the woman. At one point, an officer discharged their firearm towards the vehicle.

Ighani then ditched the car, leaving the woman, but was tracked and captured by a dog team in a wooded area nearby. None of the individuals were injured during the arrest. 

Ighani remains in custody and may face further charges in connection to Saturday's incident.

ORIGINAL 3:25 p.m.

There is a heavy police presence in OK Falls.

A resident on Birch Street told Castanet that at around 2 p.m. she heard a lot of noise and when she went outside to investigate, she saw a man running through her yard.

The man left his helmet on the ground and ran into the street.

The woman said police then showed up, took the helmet and told her to stay inside.

The police dog unit arrived at the scene to search for the suspect.

Police have towed the motorcycle from the area.

There is no word on who the police are chasing, but RCMP are still looking for Afshin Maleki Ighani, 45, in relation to a shooting in Oliver earlier this week.

Oliver RCMP have issued a Canada-wide warrant for Ighani.

The Oliver RCMP ask that anyone seeing Afshin Maleki Ighani to immediately call 911. He is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the RCMP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

- with files from Deborah Pfeiffer