A police chase concluded with an injured officer, a badly damaged residential garage, and the arrest of an impaired driver on Amelia Street early Wednesday morning (Dec. 29).
VicPD patrol officers saw a van turn north onto Pandora Avenue at Blanshard Street, heading the wrong direction on the one-way road, according to a police press release. After stopping the vehicle, officers learned that its owner had a previous homicide conviction, and recently expressed to officers a “desire for a fatal encounter, said the release.
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The driver sped away after backup officers approached and noted signs of drunkenness. As the van took off, one of the patrol officers was pulled several meters before getting free. Other police members took up the pursuit.
After turning onto Amelia Street, the fleeing van collided with a parked car and the residential garage behind it, at which time a VicPD cruiser rammed the van. Five or six VicPD vehicles were at the scene, said witnesses.
After getting out of the van and refusing to listen to officers’ directions, the driver was shot with a taser and beanbag rounds before falling to the ground and being taken into custody, according to VicPD.
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After medical attention, the driver was taken to police cells, where he failed an impaired driving test. His vehicle was impounded, his licence was suspended, and he was given a court date following release.
Occupants of the damaged house were unharmed. The officer who had been dragged along Pandora Street was attended to at the scene and later treated for a non-life-threatening leg injury at Victoria General Hospital.
Anyone with information is asked to call the VicPD Report Desk at 250-995-7654 extension 1, or Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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