The Victoria Police Department arrested a man at gunpoint after receiving multiple reports about him threatening people on a local beach with a knife.
According to VicPD, officers responded to the area near Finlayson Point around 5 p.m. on Wednesday after several people called 911 to report a man with a knife that had been threatening people on the beach.
Officers say they rushed to the scene and located the man in Beacon Hill Park, near Finlayson Point.
A press release outlines that the responding officers arrested the man at gunpoint and took him into custody.
The man was searched after being arrested and police located a knife and drugs on his person.
After further investigation, police discovered that the man had specifically targeted a person on the beach, threatening to stab them. Witnesses told police that the suspect also threatened to harm others as well.
The target victim, along with another person in the vicinity, armed themselves with sticks for protection while others nearby were able to retreat and call 911.
The victim and the suspect were not known to each other, according to VicPD, and no one was physically injured over the duration of the incident.
The suspect was taken back to Victoria Police headquarters and held for morning court.
The man faces recommended charges of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and drugs possession charges.
Anyone with information is being asked to call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1.
To report what you know anonymously, please call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Graham Cox
