Man threatens victim with knife to throat in downtown Victoria robbery spree: police

A suspect allegedly held a knife to a person’s throat and threatened to kill him in one of a series of violent incidents during a downtown Victoria robbery spree Friday.

Multiple calls alerted police around 11:30 p.m. that a man was chasing people with a knife in the area, VicPD said in a news release issued Wednesday.

According to police, every available officer swarmed the downtown core looking for the man. One officer managed to track down the suspect near Yates and Vancouver streets, but when the man fled they chased him.

After arresting the man and securing the knife, police learned there was a string of incidents that had just taken place, possibly affecting four other people who were downtown.

The first involved the suspect allegedly holding a knife to a man’s throat at the same intersection and threatening to kill him while demanding money. When a bystander called the police, the man fled. No one was injured during the incident.

The second call took place near the 900-block of Yates. The man who reported the incident says the suspect approached him, brandishing the knife and warning he had just stabbed two others.

A struggle between the two ensued, resulting in the victim lacerating their hand. The victim managed to flee, abandoning their possessions and police are reporting their injuries as non-life-threatening.

The third incident took place just a few blocks away, near View and Blanshard streets. Police say the suspect tackled his victim this time and only fled when someone else intervened, making off with the victim’s belongings.

After all this was discovered, a fourth person came forward to file a similar report. At this time police have yet to determine if they are connected to the robbery spree, but officers believe there may be additional victims who have yet to come forward.

Officer-involved car crash during initial response

Victoria Police Department says two of its squad cars were also involved in a crash with a taxi while initially responding to the robbery spree.

No one was injured, but one officer and the cab’s driver were taken to hospital. The intersection of Cook and Yates streets was closed for several hours.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

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The man arrested, Noah Michael Douglas Stinson, had several outstanding warrants and was also breaching a weapons prohibition by possessing the knife.

“While these incidents remain under investigation, the man faces a series of recommended charges, including multiple charges for assault with a weapon and robbery, obstruction of a police officer and breaching court-ordered conditions,” the police report adds.

Stinson remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court April fourth.

VicPD encourages anyone with more information to call its reporting desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1.

RELATED: One person arrested, another sent to hospital following Sunday stabbing: VicPD

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