A man accused of stealing from a liquor store and brandishing a large sword at employees was arrested by Sooke RCMP Sunday evening.
At 5:30 p.m. July 11, officers received a report of a robbery in progress at a liquor store in the 6800-block of West Coast Road. An employee told police a man had stolen three bottles of wine from the store. When staff attempted to stop him from leaving, he revealed a two-foot-long sword and swung it at them before fleeing the scene.
The employees followed the man from a safe distance in a vehicle and directed police to the 6900-block of West Coast Road. There, police arrested the man and found him in possession of both the wine and the weapon.
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“In situations like these, we always recommend to call the police immediately and then, only if safe to do so, provide us with updates of the suspect from a safe place,” Sgt. Kevin Shaw said in a release. “As evidenced here, what appears to be a minor incident can rapidly turn violent without warning.”
The man faces a recommended charge of robbery.
Anyone with information can contact the Sooke RCMP at 250-642-5241 or report anonymously to Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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