A 25-year old Qualicum Beach man who threatened someone with a firearm and bear-sprayed another victim has been charged by Oceanside RCMP.
On Tuesday, August 24th,at approximately 5:00 PM, Oceanside RCMP received two separate reports involving the same vehicle.
The first incident reported involved the suspect pointing a firearm from his black Honda Civic while stopped at an intersection in Parksville.
Later that night, the same suspect sprayed a man on the orange bridge with bear spray.
Oceanside RCMP and BC Highway Patrol investigated the area for the vehicle and its occupant and around 7:20 p.m., an officer conducting speed enforcement on Highway 19 near the Nanoose Bay rest stop spotted a small black car traveling south at well over the posted speed limit.
The car’s speed was confirmed at 128 km/h in a 90 km/hr zone using a laser speed measuring device. The car made no attempt to slow down as it went past the officer, who then jumped on his motorcycle and went after the vehicle that had disappeared from view.
The officer found the black Honda Civic was involved in a major collision near Capilano Road.
Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance services were called in due to the extensive damage to the vehicle. Police said the airbags had been deployed and the extent of injuries to the lone driver was unknown.
The driver was taken to hospital where it was determined his injuries were minor in nature.
Upon investigation, police found evidence of the two prior weapons offences and a partially consumed bottle of liquor.
The driver provided a mandatory breath sample which resulted in a Fail reading.
The suspect has been identified as 25-year old Clayton Solberg from Qualicum Beach.
He was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. In addition, he received a 90-day driving prohibition due to failing the roadside breath test and issued a violation ticket for speeding.
Solberg appeared before a judge and has since been released on bail with a number of conditions pending further court appearances.
