VICTORIA -- A North Saanich woman was arrested Friday for kidnapping her young son and fleeing from police, causing injuries.
The incident began at approximately 10:51 a.m., when Sidney/North Saanich RCMP received a 911 call from Deep Cove Elementary. Staff at the school told police that a woman who was prohibited from being on school property had gone to the school to retrieve her nine-year-old son.
Police say that the woman, 42, assaulted a school staff member who had attempted to stop her from reaching her son and abducted the boy, prompting the school to enter a lockdown.
Sidney/North Saanich RCMP then located the woman's vehicle travelling southbound on the Pat Bay Highway. When officers activated their emergency signals to pull her over, the woman accelerated and initiated a car chase.
During the pursuit, the woman's vehicle struck a police cruiser, injuring an officer inside. The woman's vehicle was then stopped just before reaching Mt. Newton Cross Road, and the woman was arrested.
Police say there were two other people in the vehicle with the woman: her son and an adult female family member. Both passengers were unharmed in the chase.
Two police officers were injured, however. Mounties say an officer who initially located the woman's vehicle and another officer who was in the cruiser that was struck were injured in the pursuit. Both officers had their injuries assessed by paramedics at the time and are now recovering at home, according to police.
"Thanks to the actions of our frontline officers, this incident was resolved swiftly and the young child was quickly retrieved physically unharmed," said Sgt. Colin Cook of the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP.
"Family disputes are emotional and have the unfortunate potential to end tragically," said Cook. "We are thankful that – with the assistance of the staff at Deep Cove Elementary and our partners at the Central Saanich Police – that this was not the case today."
The woman is now facing charges of abduction, assault, failure to stop for police and dangerous driving. She currently remains in police custody as the investigation continues.
