Man nearly runs over VicPD officers while fleeing traffic stop, police say
The Victoria Police Department says two officers needed to "leap" out of the way of a large pickup truck after the driver tried to flee from them on Friday.
Police say the incident occurred just after 4 p.m. when bike patrol officers were told by motorists that a parked car was blocking traffic along Dallas Road.
The bike officers went to the area, around the 300-block of Dallas Road, and found that a pickup truck with a camper attached to the bed was indeed blocking the northbound lanes of the street, according to VicPD.
Police began searching for the driver and were told by a witness that the driver had left the area and the truck had been parked there for about two hours.
'RAPIDLY REVERSED'
During this time, police say that the bike officers noticed a person filming them from across the street with their phone.
A few minutes later, the individual approached them and asked if they could help direct traffic so that they could leave.
The officers instead told the driver that they were going to be detained for investigation, but the person refused. The driver then got into their truck and "rapidly reversed" towards the officers, forcing them to leap out of the way to safety.
The driver then drove away but was followed by the bike officers, who were providing updates on the truck's location to other VicPD officers.
FLEES AGAIN
The truck was later spotted by police in the 300-block of Douglas Street by Beacon Hill Park.
Officers activated their cruiser lights and siren and told the driver to pull over.
"The driver refused to stop and instead performed an unsafe overtake of a vehicle ahead," said police in a statement Monday.
"Given the presence of nearby pedestrians and the large number of people in the nearby park for Canada Day, the patrol officer did not pursue and radioed the truck’s last direction of travel to other officers," police said.
Later that day, police spotted the vehicle "driving erratically" on Blanshard Street.
Police say the truck turned left onto Pandora Avenue towards the inner harbour where some roads had been closed for Canada Day celebrations.
The truck eventually stopped in the 600-block of Pandora Avenue and was surrounded by VicPD vehicles. The driver was then removed from the truck and arrested.
They face recommended charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, assault with a weapon, and assaulting a police officer.
The driver has since been released from custody until his next court date.
Anyone with further information on the incident is asked to contact Victoria police at 250-995-7654.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.