Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 12:37 p.m.

Two Kelowna men in their mid-20s were arrested on Friday night after they vandalized Knox Mountain.

Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Tanya Carroll says a nearby resident called police to alert them about the sound of a chainsaw in the park just after 10:30 p.m. The park is locked with gates after 10 p.m.

The men found themselves locked in the park and decided to call a friend who showed up with a chainsaw.

“Officers found two freshly cut trees,” said Carroll.

Two fence posts were also chopped down so they could exit the park.

Carroll says police were able to locate the two men outside of Knox Mountain a short time later.

“The two males were arrested, brought back to the detachment and released without charges,” she said.

Carroll said an investigation is underway and the men could still face criminal charges and fines.

“Obviously this is not something that is appropriate behaviour,” she said. “Seems they made a very poor decision and they realize that.”

Castanet reached out to the City of Kelowna to find out the cost of damages and are awaiting a response.

ORIGINAL: 8 p.m.

Vandals chainsawed four trees to the ground and cut through a fence at Knox Mountain after they realized they were locked in the park.

Residents living near Knox Mountain said they watched as a group of people cut down the trees and fence posts.

A group of two to three drove to a gate just below the dog park and realized they were stuck inside, but instead of contacting security they called a friend.

The residents, who will remain anonymous, said the group called a friend who brought a chainsaw.

“(They) cut down a tree and two fence posts to get down the path,” said the resident.

But when they got past the first gate, a second one was locked at the entrance of the park near Poplar Point Drive and Knox Mountain Drive.

RCMP were called but the group drove over the barricades and took off.

According to the residents, police were on scene.

Castanet has reached out to RCMP for more information and will update this story as more information becomes available.