A novice driver has been arrested after Oak Bay police found the driver and a passenger passed out inside a vehicle at Willows Beach.
On Aug. 26, Oak Bay police received a report of a possible impaired driver at the popular beach.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they found the male driver and a male passenger asleep inside the vehicle, according to police.
Neither occupant responded to officers who were repeatedly "banging on the windows," police said Tuesday.
Concerned that the occupants may have suffered an overdose, the officers smashed a vehicle window to get inside.
"After making several attempts to get in the vehicle and arouse the males from outside the vehicle they ultimately had to smash a window and access the vehicle," said Deputy Chief Ray Bernoties.
Despite the noise, neither occupant awoke, police said.
Officers then performed a sternal rub on both the driver and passenger, applying pressure to their sternums to bring them to consciousness, which roused them awake.
According to police, the occupants had apparently "passed out from alcohol use only."
After being examined by Emergency Health Services, the driver was arrested for impaired driving and was served a 90-day immediate roadside suspension. Their vehicle was also impounded for 30 days.
On top of the driving suspension and loss of the vehicle, police say the driver only had a novice licence which means they will be facing additional penalties from RoadSafetyBC.
The arrest comes just weeks after Oak Bay police found an impaired driver at Willows Beach.
In that instance, police say an intoxicated man had driven his car off of a beachside sidewalk, with its two front tires dangling off the edge and coming to rest on driftwood below.
Police said they discovered an open cooler full of empty beer cans in the front passenger seat.
The allegedly impaired man, who is in his 60s, had his vehicle impounded and licence suspended for three months.
