A man was taken into custody following an incident aboard a BC Ferries sailing from the Southern Gulf Islands to Swartz Bay late Tuesday night.
Sidney/North Saanich RCMP have now recommended multiple charges in connection to what unfolded.
Police were called to the Swartz Bay terminal shortly after 11:30 p.m. on July 1st after reports of a disturbance on a ferry travelling from Mayne Island to Vancouver Island.
The incident, which took place aboard the Queen of Cumberland, was partially captured on video and posted to Reddit by witness Pratham Khowala.
In the video, a man inside a white Tesla can be seen behaving aggressively, revving the engine, reversing unpredictably, and nearly colliding with ferry crew on the lower vehicle deck.
Khowala told Victoria Buzz that he witnessed the man try to hit two people with his vehicle.
When the ferry docked at Swartz Bay, two RCMP vehicles blocked the ramp and officers quickly approached the vehicle. The vdeo shows the could the man running back to the car and getting behind the wheel.
Offiers swarmed the driver side and had to physically remove the agigated man from the car.
Police have since recommended five charges against the individual, including assault with a weapon, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, obstruction, and two counts of mischief.
BC Ferries confirmed the incident and arrest, stating the man was observed driving erratically and acting aggressively toward crew members during the sailing. They said the safety of passengers and crew remains their top priority and that internal reviews are underway.
This marked the second serious incident involving ferry crew in just a few days.
Over the weekend, two workers aboard the Spirit of British Columbia on the 7 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay were violently attacked by a different customer.
According to the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union, one crew member was punched and another was kicked and bitten while trying to protect others on board.
An off-duty police officer stepped in to help control the situation, and the union says both injured workers are now recovering.
In a public statement, union president Eric McNeely said these types of incidents are unacceptable and are becoming far too common.
He urged BC Ferries to strengthen its safety protocols and provide better protections for frontline staff, who are increasingly exposed to unpredictable and dangerous behaviour while simply trying to do their jobs.
BC Ferries said they are supporting affected employees in both cases and are taking the incidents seriously. While no injuries were reported in the July 1st arrest, the video footage has raised concern among travellers and staff alike about safety on board.
