One man was arrested in Oak Bay on Friday for allegedly threatening to kill a couple over a single cigarette.

The frightening encounter occurred in the 2500-block of Beach Drive when the man approached a married couple and asked them for a cigarette. According to one woman involved, when the couple refused to give the man a cigarette he threatened to "slit her throat" and said that he was "going to kill her and her husband," police say.

Oak Bay police officers were then dispatched to the scene and located the man nearby. When confronted by police, the man became aggressive and threatened to "kill the police officer" that first arrived.

Despite the threats, officers were able to quickly take the man into custody without anyone suffering injuries.

Police say the situation remains under investigation. 

The incident is not the first time that someone on Vancouver Island was threatened over cigarettes. On Aug. 29, one man was stabbed and one woman was punched in the face after a couple was attacked for refusing to give a man a cigarette.  

The stabbing occurred at the Shell gas station at the corner of Douglas Street and Saanich Road. At the time, the male victim was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect was arrested by police near the scene.

Back in July, a senior in Courtenay was also viciously attacked with a machete, seemingly over cigarettes.

The 89-year-old victim was sitting inside his parked vehicle when a man on a bicycle approached him and asked for a cigarette. When the senior refused, man began to assault him, causing serious wounds to the victim's face.

The elderly victim was then able to drive himself to hospital for treatment of his injuries.