A man has been arrested following an assault on a CTV cameraman that was caught on camera at Victoria’s tent city.
Tempers rose at the controversial site when CTV’s Kirk Duncan was confronted by a resident identified by bystanders as “Soldier.”
He was at the site conducting interviews for a story on a fire commissioner report released today that deemed tent city a serious fire risk.
The man walked up to another member of the media claiming he was being filmed without permission.
He then spotted Duncan, who still had his camera recording, and charged him, yelling at him to “get out of here!”
The cameraman was punched, kicked and thrown to the ground.
Police responding to the incident took the attacker into custody.
“Obviously it’s very concerning when the media is down here conducting interviews, that something of this nature would happen,” said Const. Mike Darling.
Duncan, a veteran cameraman, said he was rattled by the incident, but otherwise okay.
Because the courthouse lawn is provincially owned and thus a public area, it is legally permitted to film there.
Witnesses sought in another assault
It’s the second reported case of violence near the encampment within 24 hours.
Police are looking for witnesses and two suspects after a man was jumped and robbed near tent city.
VicPD received a call shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday about a robbery in the 800-block of Burdett Avenue.
A man told police two men stole his wallet and then fled the area south towards Quadra and Humboldt Streets.
The man was treated on scene and is doing okay.
Stephen Hammond from the anti-tent city group “Mad as Hell” told CTV the man who was attacked is Don Allen, the building manager of a property across from the encampment.
According to Hammond, there was a woman on the building property and Allen asked her to leave, at which point he was jumped and robbed.
Hammond said the building manager has been robbed in the past after his home was broken into. More recently, expensive tools were stolen from Allen’s truck.
Police aren’t linking Thursday’s robbery to tent city or its residents.
The first suspect is described as a white man in his early 20s, with blonde hair and was wearing a black pull-over hoody. The second suspect is described as a white man in his early 20s, with brown hair and was wearing a yellow jacket.
Police said a woman was also there who may have witnessed the incident. She is described as white, with blonde hair and a thin build.
Anyone in the area of the 800-block of Burdett Ave Thursday night who heard or witnessed therobbery is asked to call VicPD’s non-emergency line at 250-995-7654 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
