A 29 year old man is in custody after attempting to carjack two vehicles last night, March 3, 2019. At approximately 8:30pm, the suspect walked into the gas pump area at the Esso on Douglas Street and Tolmie Avenue and approached several vehicles at the pumps. He then made his way to a black sedan, possibly a Toyota, where another man had just finished pumping gas and had climbed back into his car. The suspect opened the driver’s door of this car and tried to force his way in, struggling with the driver. Several witnesses came to the driver’s aid and the suspect fled on a bike.
Moments later in the adjacent Tim Horton’s parking lot, the suspect approached a father and daughter seated in their Honda Civic and opened the driver’s door. The suspect began assaulting the father, who lost control of the car as it backed into a parked tow truck. The car was then bumped into drive and proceeded to move forward through the parking lot, striking 3 other cars, driving over a garden bed and tree and then hitting a retaining wall, where it stopped.
Again, several witnesses came to help and were able to restrain the suspect on the ground, until police arrived. The father and daughter were both taken to hospital to be assessed and treated for injuries, believed to be relatively minor. The suspected was arrested for 2 counts of Robbery and is being held in custody for court appearance on March 4th.
“Although we never want people to put themselves in harms way, the courageous actions of everyone who intervened during this dynamic and dangerous situation, likely prevented further injury and damage as a result of this man’s actions” said Sgt. Julie Fast, Public Information Officer of the Saanich Police.
Our investigation into this is ongoing and we are asking anyone with information to call us. In particular, we have not identified nor spoken to the first attempted carjacking victim, the driver of the black sedan from the Esso gas station. If you are that driver or know who it is, please contact the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321.
File 19-5309