A man who police say struck an officer with a pry bar in a Belleville Street parkade faces a number of potential charges, including three related to thefts.
Shortly after 8 a.m. on Thursday (May 26), VicPD officers responded to a report of a man aggressively yelling at passersby in a parkade in the 400-block of Belleville Street. Officers were also told the man was observed breaking into a vehicle there.
Upon arrival the officers searched for the suspect then encountered him suddenly, when the suspect thrust the bar at one officer, striking him in the hand. The man was ultimately taken to the ground and arrested after a brief struggle. The officer’s hand was cut but he was treated and completed his shift.
During a subsequent search of the suspect, police found items reported stolen in a break-in at a cafe in the 1800-block of Fairfield Road. The man was arrested on suspicion of the cafe break-in and was also in possession of a bicycle that was reported stolen, which police later returned to its owner.
Before the man’s bail hearing, police were recommending charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, mischief, possession of stolen property, and possession of break and enter instruments. The investigation into the break and enter at the coffee shop remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to call the VicPD report desk at 250-995-7654, ext. 1. To report what you know anonymously, please call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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