A quiet holiday morning was broken for some residents of a Colwood apartment building, who were evacuated Monday after police found a pipe bomb in one of the suites.
Officers from West Shore RCMP and Victoria Police Department were at 85 Belmont Rd. around 9 a.m. to talk to a suspect in an unrelated case when they found the makeshift weapon. Residents of surrounding suites had to stay out of their apartments while police waited for Explosives Disposal Unit members to arrive from Vancouver.
"Any time we find something of that nature we will take precautions to ensure public safety," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Kathy Rochlitz said of the decisions to evacuate and call in the bomb squad. "The reality is they can cause significant damage."
A 59-year-old Colwood man was arrested at the scene and taken to West Shore RCMP detachment. He was due in Western Communities Provincial Court today to face a charge of possession of an explosive device.
VicPD spokesperson Const. Mike Russell said Tuesday his department is recommending one charge of uttering threats in relation to a Sunday night incident in the city and nine counts of careless storage of a firearm or ammunition.
While that case is being handled by VicPD, Rochlitz said, the pipe bomb case will be looked into by West Shore RCMP.
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