Friday, March 29, 2024

Dramatic footage captures wanted Victoria man being rescued in US waters (VIDEO)

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Talk about being in the right spot at the right time.

Just weeks ago, VicPD issued a warning a 35-year-old wanted man they believe to be Victoria bound.

While there was no sighting of him in the city, it’s been a wild 48 hours for Jericho Labonte.

Police in Astoria, Oregon, say Labonte stole a $160,000 yacht from the Astoria Port, piloted it in rough seas to the mouth of the Columbia River, then had to be rescue via helicopter after the boat began taking on water.

Labonte was rushed to a local hospital, where police later learned he gave a fake name and was released.

Before anyone realized, Labonte was accused of placing a dead fish at an Oregon house featured in Astoria’s famed Goonies House earlier in the day.

He posted a video on Facebook that showed him placing the dead fish on the porch of the residence, police said. The home is nicknamed after “The Goonies”, Steven Spielberg’s 1985 boyhood adventure film in which the house appears.

Jericho Labonte taking video after tossing dead at the “The Goonies” home (Facebook)

However, this is where things got interesting. Labonte, alone on a 35-foot vessel he had stolen, ran into troubles in the waters about 10 km west of the mouth of the Columbia River off the Oregon Coast.

With nearly 20 foot swells hammering the $160,000 vessel, the boat began taking on water forcing Labonteto issue a may day call.

Fortunately for him, the US Coast Guard were in the area and immediately headed for his location.

Video taken from a US Coast Guard helicopter shows a rescue swimmer pushing through rough seas towards Labonte and the vessel, until a massive wave neared. The boat can be seen capsizing and with Labonte being tossed into the ocean.

The rescuer managed to grab him and the helicopter crew hoisted the two up to safety, the US Coast Guard said in a tweet.

After the US Coast Guard shared the rescue online, Astoria residents recognized the man rescued as Labonte and authorities had determined the boat was stolen.

By the time authorities had caught on that Labonte was a wanted man, he had already been released from a local hospital.

He was eventually arrested about 30 km away at a warming center for people who need shelter.

Watch the dramatic video right to the end:

Here’s anther video of the rescue from a distance:

According to VicPD, Labonte has five BC-wide warrants for charges of criminal harassment, mischief and three counts of failure to comply.

Police issued a warning stating they believed he was travelling to the Victoria area and may pose a threat to public safety.

As for the Coast Guard rescuer in the waters, the agency identified him as Aviation Survival Technician 3rd Class John Branch Walton. It was his first life saved as a rescue swimmer and he graduated later that day from the Coast Guard’s Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, the agency said.

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Victoria Buzz Staffhttps://www.victoriabuzz.com
Your inside source for Greater Victoria happenings. Established in 2012.

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