A 21-year-old Squamish man is in custody after allegedly holding a knife to the throat of a 37-year-old man at the Klahanie Campground at 8:48 p.m. Tuesday (June 26).
"The victim had stepped out of his vehicle in the parking lot when he was approached by a male who demanded a ride to Whistler," said RCMP Cpl. Dave Ritchie.
When the driver refused to give him a lift, John T. Cernos allegedly pulled out a folding knife with an eight-inch blade and held it to the driver's throat.
Just then, the driver's brother stepped out of his campground trailer, distracting the suspect and allowing the victim to force the blade away from his throat.
The two struggled and the alleged assailant was disarmed when both brothers tackled him, knocking him to the ground. They then held him there until RCMP arrived. The three men knew each other through mutual acquaintances, said Ritchie: "They weren't pals and they didn't hang out together."
The suspect, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, was taken into custody, charged with assault with a weapon. He was soon released and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday (July 4) under orders to stay at a residence in North Vancouver until his court date.
"Fortunately there weren't injuries so it is not an aggravated assault," said Ritchie.
