July 6, 2020
A woman apprehended under the mental health act is now also facing criminal charges stemming from an incident this morning at an apartment complex in Saanich.
On July 6, 2020 at 7:15 a.m. Saanich Police received a report of a woman causing a disturbance from her apartment in the 3200 block of Eldon Place. Police learned that this woman had made threats to burn down the building, had incendiary devices in her hands, made threats to cause harm to people in the building and then additional threats were made toward police involving a weapon when they arrived on scene.
As there was an immediate concern for the safety of both the public and the woman, police contained her apartment and evacuated nearby residents out of their suites. The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team was called along with negotiators to assist in taking this woman into custody peacefully. Negotiations continued for several hours however they were not successful, and decisions had to be made in order to resolve this as safely as possible for everyone involved. At 12:30 p.m. tear gas was deployed, and she was taken into custody by police without further resistance. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance under the grounds of the mental health act, did not receive any injuries and was treated for exposure to the gas.
“Police are still investigating the criminal charges in this case as they continue to gather information from the residents of this building and the events that transpired. Police have responded to almost 40 calls for service involving this woman since May of this year, almost all of which have been related to checks on her mental health. The use of any force option is a last resort for police and can be applied in situations where communication is not effective and safety concerns exist.”
The charges being considered for the 37-year-old Saanich woman include Uttering Threats, Mischief to Property, and the Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose.
Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information and Communications Officer