VICTORIA -- Saanich police are thanking local residents for their help in tracking down a suspected drunk driver late Thursday night.
Shortly before 10:20 p.m., police say that a driver contacted them after they spotted a white Toyota sedan speeding past them near Mayfair Shopping Centre.
The driver then contacted police again once they neared the Saanich Police Department and Saanich Fire Hall along the Pat Bay Highway. The commuter told police that while on the highway, they spotted the same white Toyota sedan that had passed them strewn out horizontally across lanes of the highway and appeared to have sustained damage, with all of its airbags deployed.
After the car was spotted, the driver said that the white Toyota began to drive away from the area. Police say that at that point, additional witnesses called police and began to follow the damaged sedan. The witnesses continued to provide updates on the location of the vehicle until it came to a stop on the highway off-ramp leading to McKenzie Avenue.
Officers then arrived at the scene and found the driver, who fully cooperated with investigators.
"While the exact series of events leading up to the collision are still being investigated, police believe alcohol was a factor in this single-vehicle incident," said Saanich police in a news release Friday.
"We would like to thank the actions of all the witnesses involved," said Saanich police Const. Markus Anastasiades. "They clearly believed the driver’s actions posed a serious risk to the public, and they took the appropriate steps by calling the police and then remained on scene to speak to investigators."
