'Coming down to wreak havoc': Victoria police, business owners speak on surge in youth crimes
Victoria police and some local business owners aren't mincing words when it comes to a recent surge in crimes committed by youth in the downtown core.
Maurio Schelini owns the Tuscan Kitchen on View Street in downtown Victoria. He says he was bear sprayed in the face at his business by a 15-year-old.
"The fellow that left the store first just sprayed me in the face," Schelini told CTV News.
Two teenagers began acting obnoxiously in the store several weeks ago. Schelini asked them to leave, and then the alleged assault occurred just outside the shop.
"After that, I ran into the washroom and ran my face under water for two hours," said the business owner.
Maurio Schelini, owner of the Tuscan Kitchen in downtown Victoria, is pictured. (CTV News)
The police were called and later arrested the pair in Bastion Square.
"That’s when I saw two of [the knives] were missing," said Schelini.
He then realized the pair had stolen two knives from his store.
ORGANIZED GROUPS
The Victoria Police Department says it's seen a disturbing trend unfolding over the past three weeks.
"They are coming down to wreak havoc," said Bowen Osoko, spokesperson for VicPD.
Ringleaders are organizing groups through social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, police say.
Teens come downtown on public transit from outlining municipalities, bringing with them drugs, booze and weapons with one purpose in mind, according to Victoria police.
"What we’re seeing is lots of assaults, assaults with weapons, assaults targeting unhoused people," said Osoko.
To date, 25 major incidents are being investigated. This includes a group of 25 youths who reportedly attacked a 70-year-old man on Douglas Street.
A group of 14 youths also swarmed a police officer, trying to prevent their friend from being arrested, police say.
On May 6, a group of up to 150 youths marched up Government Street from Dallas Road, stomping overtop of vehicles and kicking off rear view mirrors, according to VicPD.
Residents who spoke to CTV News on Friday had mixed responses on the issue, with some saying they felt less safe in the downtown area recently, while others felt like there wasn't a significant change.
The Victoria Police Department is working with all police agencies in the region on these files. VicPD says this week the focus will be on breaking up these gatherings and to enforce the law.
"We’ll be seizing weapons, we’ll be making arrests, and where appropriate, we will be recommending charges," said Osoko.
Back at the Tuscan Kitchen, Schelini has proceeded with pressing charges against his attackers.
"I don’t regret pressing charges and I hope that’s the first and last time that these two kids will do what they did," said Schelini.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.