A Vancouver Island man now faces a slew of criminal charges following an over 12-hour crime spree that stretched from Nanaimo to Greater Victoria.
It all started at around 9 p.m. on March 11th, when Nanaimo RCMP was made aware that a man with a dog had stolen a white Subaru SUV.
But things quickly escalated the next morning, according to police.
Just before 4 a.m. on March 12th, Saanich Police were called to a break-and-enter at a gas station in the 300-block of Burnside Road.
While the suspect was unsuccessful in opening the store’s cash register, he caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, police say.
He had fled before officers arrived but was caught on security cam ramming the store’s front doors with a white Subaru SUV—the same one reported stolen from Nanaimo the night before.
Shortly after, at around 6 a.m., multiple West Shore RCMP officers responded to a gas station robbery in the 2000-block of West Shore Parkway in Langford.
“An employee said a man entered the business and allegedly brandished an edged weapon while demanding and stealing cash before fleeing in a vehicle,” RCMP said in a Thursday media release.
“West Shore RCMP officers reviewed the video surveillance and noted a description of the suspect and vehicle—a white Subaru SUV.”
Two hours later, the same vehicle was spotted engulfed in flames on the Trans Canada Highway in Ladysmith. However, the suspect was nowhere to be seen.
“A witness reported seeing a man with a dog fleeing from the vehicle just before it went up in flames,” police said, noting both the RCMP Forensic Identification Section and Police Dog Services were called to help in the investigation.
After 10 a.m., a man walking nearby with a dog along the Trans Canada Highway matching the suspect description was found and arrested by RCMP.
The 26-year-old man of Nanaimo was charged with mischief, break-and-enter, arson, possession of stolen property and two counts of robbery, police say. He’s currently in custody with a date in court on April 21st.
“The prompt, detailed information received from the public assisted the police in quickly locating and arresting the suspect,” added West Shore Cst. Meghan Groulx.
“Thankfully, no one was injured during this short-lived crime spree.”
