A 71-year-old Kamloops man is recovering after being badly beaten in Riverside Park.

Glen Warner, a recent cancer survivor who does security for the City of Kamloops, was approaching a man on a bike who was disturbing a city worker.

Glen’s son, Jason Warner, tells NL News the man called his dad a goof and an old man, before punching him in the face. The punch broke Glen’s orbital bone and concussed him, and Glen is now having surgery today on his face, at Royal Inland Hospital.

Jason says his dad Glen is a retired federal prison worker, who has never once had a physical altercation in his line of work.

“He’s a really calm, really relaxed, chill guy. He’s been managing offenders and street people for so many years. And so he really, really enjoys doing this job. Really enjoys the connections with both the community who have homes and the community members who are homeless. It’s kind of his calling. So this has really, really flattened him.”

Jason says his Dad took a photo with his cell phone of the suspect before approaching him, something he says his Dad always does before approaching a stranger while in uniform, as a precaution.

The photo shows a man with a goatee, wearing a ball cap, a black hoodie, and black sweatpants. He was riding a blue bike and carrying a dark-coloured backpack.

Jason says his Dad suspects the assailant was recently released from prison or is from out of town.

“I think if this guy could come turn himself in or if someone finds him, I know that my Dad wouldn’t want him hurt, but he would want him to be arrested. And then we would go from there.”

Jason said his dad spoke with Const. Christopher Squire the same day of the assault at the Kamloops RCMP detachment, but says no police report on the incident was filed until three days later.

“Originally, the officer, Constable Squire, told Dad that this wasn’t going to go anywhere in court, so just let it go,” Jason says. “And he didn’t follow up with it, didn’t take a statement. Dad went down to the station and tried to make a statement but the officer didn’t take the statement. He just talked to Dad about how he was feeling, and that was it.

“We had an understanding that officers were on it right away and that they had arrested the individual. It turns out that wasn’t the case. So then I called the detachment and talked to one of the watch commanders. He was appalled that this hadn’t been taken care of, so he is now personally working with one of the other watch commanders, to either take the case or make sure that officer does his job.”

On an unrelated note, Const. Squire has a court date on July 30 in Kamloops. Squire was charged last month after the driver of an alleged stolen vehicle was injured during a police pursuit, on Dec. 8, 2018 on Westsyde Road. The charge of dangerous operation of a vehicle followed an investigation by the Independent Investigations Office.

RCMP “E” Division Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet says she did not have details on the incident, and says she would be reaching out to the detachment. NL News has also reached out to the Kamloops RCMP for comment.