Date: October 26, 2020
File: 20-24652
A suspect is in police custody this morning believed to be related to a series of break and enters to businesses in Saanich that occurred throughout the month of October.
A total of six break and enters, specifically to liquor stores in Saanich, were reported from October 2 to October 26, 2020. In all these events, glass windows or wall panels were carefully removed by the suspect allowing access into the store. The items stolen included wine, beer and other types of bottled alcoholic beverages.
At approximately 3:30 a.m. this morning a Victoria Police Canine officer stopped a vehicle on Hwy 17 near McKenzie Avenue that he knew was associated to a person wanted on a warrant and outstanding property crime charges. The driver was arrested. At the same time, a Saanich Police Canine officer attended a nearby liquor store in 4400 block of West Saanich Road and discovered a break and enter had occurred overnight, which included the removal of a glass windowpane. Bottles of liquor from the store were found in the vehicle driven by the suspect, who was then arrested for Break and Enter.
“The suspect clearly knew how to remove large panels of glass carefully which would have afforded them a rather quiet entry into the store. This is not a common means of breaking into a building nor a skillset common without previous training or knowledge.”
This file is on-going, and investigators are working through all the evidence to determine how many of the break and enters the suspect may have committed. The suspect, a 40-year-old man, is known to police.
Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information and Communications Officer