Man arrested after damaging Victoria restaurant while staff, customers inside

A Victoria police vehicle is pictured in this undated photo. (Victoria Police Department/Facebook)

Victoria -

Victoria police say a man was arrested on Tuesday evening after he entered a restaurant and began hitting the walls with a heavy object.

Police say the incident occurred around 8 p.m. at a restaurant in the 600-block of Johnson Street when restaurant patrons and staff were inside.

Police were called to the scene and VicPD says officers "responded immediately" to reports of the man swinging a crowbar. When they arrived, officers found the man fleeing the restaurant in an alley behind the building.

Police say he was trying to escape the scene by climbing onto the roof a nearby building, before he was taken into custody. While being arrested, police say the man struggled with officers and refused to follow police directions.

A police service dog was then used to help take the man into custody.

Once the man was arrested, police say he was found to be in possession of several weapons, including a knife.

Officers also say that the item the man used to damage the restaurant turned out to be a heavy steel beam, and not a crowbar.

After the man was taken into custody, he was transported to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the arrest. After he was medically cleared, he was released from police custody on conditions with a future court date.

He now faces recommended charges of mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.