A bizarre string of events that involved an alleged assault, breaking & entering, and car theft concluded with a roll over crash on the Pat Bay Highway on Thursday afternoon.
The series of incidents began at approximately 1:45 p.m. when a woman entered Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre in downtown Victoria claiming that she had been stabbed.
Before emergency services arrived, the woman left the premises and walked up Quadra Street and into Saanich. There, she broke into a house on Holmes Street, and stole a set of car keys for the homeowner’s Honda CRV.
The homeowner, who was in the house at the time, heard her vehicle being unlocked and saw the woman climb inside. The owner then ran to the driveway and confronted the woman, but was unable to prevent her from reversing onto Quadra Street and driving away.
The homeowner then called 911, and Saanich Police spotted the stolen CRV heading northbound on the Pat Bay Highway.
See also: Single vehicle roll over crash snarls traffic on Pat Bay Highway (PHOTOS)
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle near a weigh scales pull out, but the woman refused to pull over and continued up the highway, running a red light at Sayward Road. Police considered it unsafe to pursue her through the busy intersection.
However, just a few minutes later, Central Saanich Police received reports of a roll over crash in the 7200 block of the Pat Bay Highway. Officers quickly discovered that the upside down vehicle was in fact the stolen CRV they had been chasing.
Woman arrested after vehicle theft and crash https://t.co/QTaQ59DmC8 #yyj pic.twitter.com/1xXwKGYYnJ
— Saanich Police (@SaanichPolice) April 5, 2019
After crashing the vehicle, the woman flagged down a passing motorist and asked to be taken to the Saanich Peninsula hospital.
She was taken to the hospital, but did not go inside. Instead, she walked off for a short distance before attempting to flag down another vehicle.
Central Saanich Police then located her running on Bourne Terrace and arrested her.
The 29-year-old woman of no fixed address was then brought back to the hospital and assessed for injuries. She was treated for minor injuries and there was no evidence of a stab wound.
She is now facing a number of charges, including break & enter, theft, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and flight from police. She was held in police custody overnight and will appear in court later today.
