Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2023
File: 23-30506, 23-30551
Victoria, BC – VicPD officers responded to higher-than-average call volumes and made arrests for assault and causing an explosion, and arson over a busy weekend in the city.
On Saturday, August 19 at approximately 8:00 a.m., Patrol officers responded to a report of assault in the 1900-block of Douglas Street. Upon arriving, officers determined that witnesses had heard a loud bang and saw a small explosion outside the front doors of the building, close to bystanders. Witnesses quickly extinguished the subsequent flames. The suspect then assaulted the complainant after being asked to leave the property.
Officers worked together to identify and locate the suspect, who was then arrested without incident at approximately 3:30 p.m. for Assault and Causing An Explosion.
Later that day, at approximately 6:00 p.m., a Patrol officer was flagged down and alerted to a rapidly growing grass fire in the 600-block of Chatham St. The officer used the fire extinguisher in his vehicle to attack the fire and called Victoria Fire Department to attend.
While addressing the first fire, the VicPD officer was alerted to another, smaller grass fire in the area, which he also extinguished.
Witnesses informed the officer that they had seen a person lighting the fires. VicPD officers were able to identify and locate the suspect, and he was arrested at a nearby park later that evening.
Further details about these investigations cannot be shared at this time.
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