Posted 2015-06-23
A man returned to his vehicle on Friday night to find a person that was not known to him sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., at the Tillicum Mall upper parking lot, the witness returned to his unlocked vehicle to find the unwanted visitor.
Upon confronting the suspect, the witness observed that the suspect had helped himself to several items that had been inside the vehicle, and placed them into a bag that the suspect was carrying. The quick acting witness moved to the passenger side of his vehicle and prevented the suspect from fleeing from the scene.
The witness contacted Police by phoning 9-1-1 and removed the suspect from the vehicle. The suspect followed direction to sit on the pavement where he stayed until police arrived minutes later.
A 29 year old Victoria man was arrested for Theft Under $5000. During his arrest, officers located numerous other items in his possession that appeared to have been recently acquired from nearby businesses.
Checks of the suspect revealed that he had been the subject of numerous recent theft incidents, although he was noted to have no previous criminal convictions for theft.
The suspect was held in custody and remanded over the weekend to appear in court on Monday morning.
Saanich Police, once again, would like to remind all vehicle owners to ensure that they are securing their vehicles, even if they are only going to be parked for short periods of time.
File 2015-12746
Sgt. Steve Eassie #158