Victoria police are calling on witnesses and those with video to come forward as they investigate reports of a series of dangerous driving incidents which saw a man arrested after officers deployed a taser.
VicPD started receiving reports on Friday (Sept. 9) afternoon that a possibly impaired man was driving a rental vehicle erratically.
Officers simultaneously began receiving reports of a series of incidents in the Hillside Quadra area, described by callers as “road rage” and “dangerous driving,” according to a news release. The vehicle and suspect descriptions from both sets of reports matched, police said.
Officers responded to the area and began searching for the vehicle and driver. Upon locating the vehicle, they attempted to perform a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop, but police opted not to engage in pursuit so as to not put public safety in jeopardy.
Additional responding officers managed to box the driver in at Hillside Avenue and Doncaster Drive a short time later. The man proceeded to exit the vehicle and approached police, trying to fight with them rather than following commands.
One officer deployed their taser on the suspect before he was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was immediately transported to hospital for medical evaluation – as required whenever a taser is used – but was otherwise uninjured.
Police learned the suspect had previously been arrested after a vehicle crashed into three police cruisers on Sept. 1. In that incident, assistance from the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and the Integrated Canine Service was required to safely apprehend the suspect, who refused to comply with police direction.
The Saanich police investigation of that incident remains ongoing.
Saanich police attended following the Friday incident and served the driver with a 14-month driving prohibition issued by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.
Victoria police continue their investigation at this time as well.
The vehicle involved is described as a white, late-model Hyundai Kona. There are multiple reports of various incidents involving a similar car.
If you witnessed or have video of an incident involving a car matching this description, please call the VicPD report desk at 250-995-7653, ext. 1.
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