The Victoria crime thread

Everyone gets drawn in by flashing police lights. So why not a thread on local crime?

To start things off, Hillside, between Cook and Quadra, and Quadra between Hillside and Topaz, was blocked off today as the fuzz investigated something. There was a tent setup at Prior and Hillside although I'm not sure if there was a body under the tent or not. Some people mentioned they had heard gunshots :smt102

There were so many cops in that area that Saanich police were patrolling downtown tonight. In fact it was somewhat comedic watching Saanich cops overreacting to typical Saturday night rowdiness on the streets.

I heard shots fired on the street from my balcony. Lots of police activity too. Exciting place to live! :razz:

Bout time the coppers cracked down on you lawless Quadra Villagers.

SHOTS FIRED ON HILLSIDE UPDATE

C-FAX Feb 4, 2007

VICTORIA POLICE ARE SHEDDING A LITTLE MORE LIGHT ON WHAT HAPPENED WHEN OFFICERS FIRED SEVERAL GUNSHOTS ON HILLSIDE LATE SATURDAY NIGHT.

POLICE SAY THEY WERE CHASING A STOLEN VEHICLE AT THE TIME, AND AS IT APPROACHED HILLSIDE AND BLACKWOOD -- BETWEEN COOK AND QUADRA -- OFFICERS OPENED FIRE ON THE CAR.

SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT HEARING THE GUNSHOTS RING OUT.

THE LONE MALE DRIVER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND TAKEN TO HOSPITAL.

HILLSIDE BETWEEN COOK AND PRIOR WAS STILL CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC AS OF SUNDAY MORNING.

POLICE HAVEN'T SAID WHAT PROMPTED THE USE OF FIREARMS.

MORE INFORMATION IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

- PRICE

AHA! That's why I hadn't posted all I had heard. See, the story I came across was that the cops were shot at and not the other way around.

Why on earth would the cops have to shoot at a stolen vehicle?? And seriously injure the driver??? I know the driver was a criminal, but there is no use shooting at a stolen car, unless it was driving at incredibly high speeds.

IT TOOK A DOZEN GUNSHOTS FROM THREE VICTORIA POLICE OFFICERS TO BRING A DANGEROUS CAR CHASE TO A DEADLY END SATURDAY NIGHT.

These three police cars are on the grass in Hyacinth park off interurban. An old lady is dead and her husband who has Alzheimer's cant remember what happened, so the cops are treating it as a full on crime scene. The old couple just came back from a holiday. I think that it may be a murder suicide. Incidentally, I grew up in the house to the left of the police cars.

That's so sad.

It would been even funnier to see the Oak Bay PD patrolling downtown.



CAR CHASE ENDS IN POLICE GUNFIRE; DRIVER KILLED

Feb 4, 2007

IT TOOK A DOZEN GUNSHOTS FROM THREE VICTORIA POLICE OFFICERS TO BRING A DANGEROUS CAR CHASE TO A DEADLY END SATURDAY NIGHT.

IT HAPPENED AROUND 8PM -- POLICE SPOTTED A STOLEN VEHICLE PARKED ON TOPAZ AVENUE NEAR QUADRA STREET.

THEY RAN THE PLATES, AND WAITED UNTIL SOMEONE RETURNED TO DRIVE OFF.

WHEN A MAN DID SO, POLICE USED THEIR CARS TO TRY AND BLOCK THE GMC JIMMY FROM LEAVING -- ONLY TO BE RAMMED ASIDE.

THE DRIVER LEAD OFFICERS ON A PERSUIT THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS -- ALONG TOPAZ ACROSS QUADRA STREET, TO GRAHAM STREET ACROSS HILLSIDE AVENUE, TO KINGS ROAD AND ONTO BLACKWOOD AVENUE.

POLICE SAY TWO CRUISERS WERE ON THE STOLEN TRUCK'S TAIL, WHILE TWO OTHER POLICE CARS MOVED TO BLOCK THE ROADWAY AT BLACKWOOD AND HILLSIDE.

VICTORIA POLICE CHIEF PAUL BATTERSHILL SAYS THE STATIONARY OFFICERS GOT OUT OF THEIR CARS AND TOOK UP POSITION ON THE BOULEVARD AND SIDEWALK.

"AS THE VEHICLE APPROACHED THE OFFICERS, IT SUDDENLY SWERVED OFF THE ROADWAY AND BEGAN TRAVELLING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED.. STRAIGHT TOWARD THE OFFICERS," SAYS CHEIF BATTERSHILL.

BATTERSHILL SAYS ONE OFFICER DOVE TO SAFETY -- BOTH HE, AND TWO OTHERS OPENED FIRE.

THAT FAILED TO STOP THE TRUCK -- WHICH POLICE SAY THEN TURNED AROUND AND TOOK ANOTHER RUN AT THOSE OFFICERS.

THE TRIO AGAIN FIRED ON THE TRUCK -- WHICH THEN SLOWED, RAN INTO THE PARKED CRUISERS AND CAME TO A HALT.

POLICE SAY THE MAN IN THE JIMMY WAS HIT TWICE -- ITS DRIVER WAS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL, WHERE HE DIED ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER.

IT TURNS OUT THE DECEASED HAS A LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY -- BUT CHIEF BATTERSHILL SAYS THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE DEALING WITH DURING THE PERSUIT, WHICH LASTED ABOUT TWO MINUTES.

MOST OF THE 12 POLICE SHOTS HIT THE STOLEN TRUCK -- THOUGH TWO MISSED THE MARK.

ONE OF THE ERRANT SHOTS HIT A BUS SHELTER, THE OTHER STRUCK A PARKED CAR.

"THANK GOD THERE WAS NOBODY STANDING AT THE BUS STOP," BATTERSHILL SAYS.

THE THREE OFFICERS INVOLVED WERE NOT INJURED. THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN COUNSELLING AND HAVE BEEN PLACED ON LEAVE.

SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS WILL COMB OVER THE INCIDENT -- INCLUDING AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW BY ANOTHER POLICE AGENCY.

THE DECEASED IS A VICTORIA MAN IN HIS MID-30'S -- BATTERSHILL SAYS HE HAD PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE TRYING TO EVADE POLICE.

HIS NAME, AND THE NAMES OF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED, HAVEN'T BEEN RELEASED -- THAT'S EXPECTED SOMETIME IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

- IRELAND CFAX 1070

Wow. I went to V-Lounge at Red Lion on Saturday, lots of cops.

^They changed the name from Diego's to "V" lounge to let people know that violence and vendettas sometimes happen there.

This from the Times-Colonist:

"A visibly shaken Victoria police Chief Paul Battershill struggled to keep his voice under control yesterday afternoon as he explained that, for the first time in recent history, Victoria police officers had shot and killed a man. Battershill, wearing full dress uniform and looking drawn, outlined the events on Saturday night that led to three experienced police officers firing a dozen shots in a residential neighbourhood, killing a 37-year-old man in a stolen SUV."

The thing i don't understand is, why was Battershill so shaken by everything that happened? None of the cops were hurt and they eliminated the bad guy, so why the chief was so upset made no sense to me. Is the guy just a complete pussy or what?

Apparently he hadn't yet had the chance to receive any pointers from the Chief of Saanich Police, whose officers have killed at least one man in very recent history.

yeah, what sort of pussy gets a bit emotional looking back on a recent event involving having to kill someone as they tried to kill you GTA style with a big SUV.

Ahh, the beauty of the internet. Gives any dumbass the forum to spout off about something he knows nothing about. Too bad we're seeing this kind of **** on VV now.

The thing i don't understand is, why was Battershill so shaken by everything that happened? None of the cops were hurt and they eliminated the bad guy, so why the chief was so upset made no sense to me. Is the guy just a complete pussy or what?

Let's be a little more sensitve here everyone. We are a local resource and someone in the community has died, add to that members of our local police force are having to deal with this event as well.

Don't value human life so much. With 6 billion of us we're a dime a dozen these days. You have a man pointing a handgun as your avatar G-Man! Don't be a poser.

Frankly I'm impressed that I (nearly) witnessed this altercation live in person from the comfort of my own home. A stupid idiot who can't control himself has, by being killed, fulfilled his role in society: to serve as a warning to others. It's all part of gods plan you know, um, separating the wheat from the chaff sort of thing.

Its James Bond.

Whether you sympathize with the criminal or not, the fact is that a police officer will spend the rest of their life having to deal with the fact that they took a life.

That's harsh.

Be as cool sounding as you want, you won't have to deal with that.

Why would someone carry a gun, like the police in this situation, if they weren't prepared to deal with the possible consequences?

^Unfair question.
How can someone prepare to take a life?
Would you be more reassured if he wasn't shaken at all?