Neighbours armed with 'garden tools' stop break-in suspect in Cedar, B.C., police say

Residents of a neighbourhood near Nanaimo armed themselves with "garden tools" to confront a break-in suspect last week, according to local police.
The incident occurred in Cedar, B.C., on Jan. 25. Around 6 p.m. that day, police arrested the suspect in the 1700 block of Woobank Road, according to a news release from Nanaimo RCMP.
Police said "numerous officers" responded to 911 calls around 3 p.m. when a homeowner in the 2400 block of Yellow Point Road found an intruder in his home.
After a struggle, during which the suspect suffered a head injury and "lost a significant amount of blood," he managed to get away, police said.
Officers searched the area with a police dog, but were unable to find the suspect until they received more 911 calls, RCMP said.
Those calls reported that a man with dried blood on him had tried to break into a home some two kilometres away from the original incident.
"This time, several neighbours came together and, brandishing a variety of garden tools, prevented the individual from fleeing," police said in their statement.
"Officers responded and arrested the suspect for the two attempted break-and-enters."
The 34-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment, then taken to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, where he was held overnight, police said.
The suspect, who has no fixed address, was also the subject of four outstanding warrants from North Cowichan, police said.
The investigation into the attempted break-ins is ongoing, police said, adding that charges have not yet been laid.
"We are pleased that the suspect was eventually located and that none of the homeowners were injured while trying to subdue him," said Const. Gary O’Brien in the statement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Biden is coming to Canada: Here's what we know about his visit
U.S. President Joe Biden is coming to Canada Thursday evening, kicking off his short but long-awaited overnight official visit to Canada. Here's what CTV News has confirmed about what will be on the agenda, and what key players are saying about the upcoming visit.

First victim in fatal Old Montreal fire identified as 76-year-old woman
Montreal police have identified the first victim of the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that has left two dead and five missing. Insp. David Shane said it was a woman named Camille Maheux, who was 76 years old.
What are the predictions for Canada's real estate market this spring?
The Canadian real estate market has been sluggish since last year, when prospective buyers started putting off plans to purchase homes as the Bank of Canada aggressively hiked interest rates eight consecutive times. But realtors see many edging toward a purchase once more.
Canada broke a population growth record in 2022: StatCan
Canada's population grew by more than one million over the course of one calendar year, breaking previous records, a new Statistics Canada report says.
5 planets will align in an arc across the night sky next week
Sky-gazers will be treated to a parade of planets near the end of month when Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will appear together in the night sky.
Canada allowing Ukrainians overseas to apply for free emergency visa until mid-July
The federal government will give Ukrainians until mid-July to apply for a free temporary visa to Canada under an emergency program put in place last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prince William visits troops in Poland on surprise trip
Prince William made an unannounced trip to Poland on Wednesday to thank British and Polish troops involved in providing support to Ukraine, before meeting refugees who have fled the conflict with Russia to hear of their experiences.
AP sources: Manhattan DA postpones Trump grand jury session
Manhattan prosecutors postponed a scheduled grand jury session Wednesday in the investigation into Donald Trump over hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, at least temporarily slowing a decision on whether to charge the ex-president.
What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues
Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven's death, researchers pulled DNA from strands of his hair, searching for clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him.