The passenger involved in an impaired driving investigation who fled from police and then crashed his truck is facing several criminal charges.

On Saturday, June 10, 2023, at approximately 10 pm, an officer with the Saanich Police Traffic Safety Unit conducted a traffic stop with a pickup truck in the 900 block of Nicholson Street to check the sobriety of the driver.

The officer noted that there was a passenger in the front seat of the truck who identified himself to police as the registered owner.

The officer formed grounds to demand a roadside breath test from the driver, which she subsequently failed. The officer then explained the impaired investigation process to both the driver and the owner, noting that the owner was becoming increasingly upset that his truck would face a 30-day impoundment.

Suddenly, the owner ran to the driver’s seat and sped off in his truck towards Quadra Street. One officer remained on scene while the other quickly left to stop the truck. As the officer turned his police vehicle onto Quadra Street, he saw that the truck had already crashed into a tree and a fence.

As the officer pulled up, the owner was seen running away from the truck and into a neighbouring yard.

Additional officers attended the area and located him in the backyard of a residence on Nicholson Street.

He was arrested and transported back to the Saanich Police Department, where breath tests determined that he was well over the legal limit of .08.

The initial driver received a 90-day Immediate Roadside Driving Prohibition and the truck, which was now likely damaged beyond repair, was impounded for 30 days

The owner, 30 years old, is facing recommended charges of impaired operation of a motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and flight from police.

File 2023-10462.

Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information & Communications Officer
media@saanichpolice.ca