An unusual and tense scene unfolded in downtown Victoria on New Year’s Eve after a man barricaded himself inside the back of a U-Haul truck and began damaging its contents in full view of pedestrians.
According to VicPD, officers were called to the 1100-block of Government Street at around 2:20 p.m. on December 31st following reports that a man had climbed into the rear of a U-Haul moving truck and was actively smashing items inside with a stick.
When police arrived, they identified the suspect as a 35-year-old man. Officers attempted to negotiate with him, but police say his behaviour continued to escalate as the incident unfolded in the busy downtown core.
To reduce risk to the public and officers and to bring the situation under control, the decision was made to transport the U-Haul truck, with the suspect still inside, to VicPD headquarters where additional resources and containment were available.
The scene quickly drew attention from passersby, with several people stopping to watch as police worked to resolve the situation.
One witness later described the incident online, saying they heard loud metallic banging coming from the truck while walking along Government Street.
According to the post, the U-Haul’s owner claimed the man had been stealing items before jumping into the truck and refusing to come out.
“At some point the door was closed and then he began violently thrashing around inside,” the witness wrote, adding that the situation was unlike anything they expected to see during a casual downtown walk.
Another witness said the U-Haul had been parked on the sidewalk while staff from Old Morris Tobacconist were loading up inventory from the longtime Government Street shop, which recently closed after more than a century in business.
According to the witness, a man later began going through items inside the U-Haul, prompting the owner to lock him inside the truck and call police.
Police later arrested the man without further incident. He now faces five charges, including assaulting a peace officer, causing a disturbance, mischief, and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
The accused has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on January 6th.
