VicPD have arrested a man believed to be responsible for the violent sexual assault that occurred in downtown Victoria last week.
Just before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 18th, a woman was approached by an unknown man at the intersection of Wharf Street and Johnson Street.
The suspect took her to a green space by Wharf Street and Pandora Avenue, near the statue known as the Commerce Canoe, and proceeded to threaten, physically and sexually assault her.
After the assault, the victim ran to a group of people nearby and the suspect fled the area. Police were unable to locate him at that time.
See also: Suspect at large after violent sexual assault in downtown Victoria
An intensive investigation commenced, and investigators were able to identify the suspect. Detectives executed a search warrant and secured evidence related to the offence.
Police arrested him just after 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23rd in the 500-block of Ellice Street.
“We would like to thank everyone who came forward and provided information and CCTV footage for this incident, which aided us in arresting the suspect,” says VicPD Spokesperson Constable Terri Healy.
“It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and courage for survivors to report incidents of sexualized violence, so we take our responsibility to investigate sexual assaults very seriously.”
The suspect was released on restrictive and protective conditions with an appearance notice designed to maintain public safety and safety for those involved.
Detectives are working to process and analyze evidence, with the goal of recommending charges to Crown counsel.
Further details about this investigation (including the suspect’s name) cannot be shared at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Since this incident, there have been two additional reports of random sexual assaults, one in Langford and the other in Shawnigan Lake—in a media release, Shawnigan Lake RCMP said the incidents don’t appear to be related.
