Victoria police believe a man they arrested Wednesday morning for smashing the windows of numerous downtown buildings is also the man they arrested for racing a stolen water taxi up the Gorge Waterway the day before.
At 12:30 a.m. Jan. 20, officers were called to a multi-unit residential building in the 1700-block of Cook Street for a report of an alarm. Upon arriving, they found the front door window had been smashed with a rock.
Shortly after, officers were called to a restaurant in the 500-block of Pandora Avenue where a man was smashing windows with a large wooden pole. Officers arrested the man in the 500-block of Yates Street.
As the day went on, officers were alerted to more and more locations that had been damaged. As of Wednesday afternoon, they know of 14 locations that the suspect damaged including: the 1700-block of Cook Street, the 1500-block of Cook Street, the 600-block of View Street, two locations in the 1100-block of Blanshard Street, the 700-block of Broughton Street, the 600-block of Courtney Street, three locations in the 1200-block of Broad Street, the 600-block of Yates Street, the 500-block of Pandora Avenue, the 1400-block of Store Street, and the 700-block of Fort Street.
Officers believe that the man, who is in cells and facing recommended charges of mischief and breach of an undertaking, is the same man that they arrested the day before for stealing a water taxi.
RELATED: Victoria man arrested after stealing water taxi, racing it up Gorge Waterway
On Tuesday (Jan. 19) at 3 a.m., officers were called to the 400-block of Swift Street where a man was reported to have stolen a Harbour Ferry water taxi and rode it up the Gorge Waterway. Jumping on their own boat, officers chased the man down and arrested him. For that incident, he faces recommended charges of theft over $5,000.
Police believe that the suspect may have damaged other property on his alleged glass smashing spree and are asking that anyone with information contact them at 250-995-7654, extension 1. People can report anonymously to Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
RELATED: Sophisticated glass-removal crime returns to downtown Victoria
Â
Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
