Cab driver who helped police catch sex offender says it was his duty as a citizen

A day after assisting police in arresting a high-risk sex offender, Mohammed Rashaed said he isn’t looking for any special credit.

On Sunday morning, the Bluebird Cabs driver was flagged down in Victoria by Scott Jones, a high-risk sex offender who was wanted Canada-wide for being unlawfully at large. The 56-year-old, who was out on parole, had failed to report.

Rashaed says Jones asked him to go the Island Travel Inn on Douglas Street, and that he grew suspicious after Jones asked him to avoid the front of the builder and to head to the back.

“I started to think that this is the guy, because Bluebird taxi, they sent us a description of [a] wanted guy, so I started looking at him and talking to him a little bit,” Rashead said.

Despite his suspicions, Rashaed kept driving Jones around before they finally ended up at Super Store in Langford.

Upon their arrival, Jones asked Rashaed to go inside and buy clothes for him, admitting he was wanted by police.

“I said ‘OK wait here in my car.’ I locked him in my car and I went inside the Super Store and I called the police,” said Rashaed

Within minutes West Shore RCMP arrived on scene. When an officer approached the cab, Jones attempted to barricade himself inside and even tried to light the vehicle on fire. An officer, Const. Meighan Massey, then smashed a window and arrested Jones. 

“As a citizen, I didn’t do anything special. I think all good citizens would do the same,” said Rashaed

“At some point we have to sacrifice whatever is necessary to protect this country from bad people.”

Jones has been handed over to Victoria Police and now faces more charges, including one for mischief for the damage he caused to Rashaed’s cab.

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