Sooke RCMP are searching for a male suspect wanted in connection with a pistol whipping Friday (Oct. 27) night.
Police are appealing to members of the public who may have witnessed an altercation between two men on the Ed McGregor Park boardwalk in Sooke. One man struck the other in the head with a pistol before running westbound down the boardwalk.
The suspect is a Caucasian male, 5-foot-seven, weighing approximately 145 lbs. with short dark hair and a trimmed beard. He is believed to have been wearing blue shorts, and a dark-coloured hoodie. The suspect, upon seeing a police car closing in on him, drove his car over a nearby residential property and down a steep flight of stairs. The car came to rest in a treed area above the beach at Ed McGregor Park and the suspect fled on foot.
Police determined the vehicle to be stolen out of Nanaimo, and located other stolen property inside the vehicle believed to be from thefts in other areas of Vancouver Island.
“The actions of this individual put the public at great risk,” Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur said. “We believe there were numerous witnesses to this assault and it is essential that we speak with them.”
While Sooke RCMP and Saanich Police were able to contain the area, the suspect and the pistol used have yet to be located.
Anyone who witnessed the assault on the boardwalk at Ed McGregor Park last night around 5 p.m. is asked to contact Sooke RCMP immediately.
