Man stabbed in chest after refusing to offer a cigarette to a stranger

Victoria, BC – Investigators are asking for witnesses with video to come forward after a man was arrested after stabbing another man in the chest and threatening officers with a knife.

Patrol officers responded to a report that a man was attacking another man with a knife in the area of Rock Bay Avenue and Gorge Road East just after 2 p.m. this afternoon.

The victim reported that he was outside his home when a stranger approached him and demanded a cigarette. When the man said “no”, the stranger stabbed him in the chest. The victim fled from his attacker, who continued to follow him. The victim told police that a witness across the street who had observed the attack and called 911, yelled to the suspect that they were on the phone with police, which interrupted the attack. The attacker fled the area, but not before the victim took a photograph of him with his phone.

Patrol officers located a man matching the suspect’s description nearby a short time later. When officers approached, the man first turned away from them and began reaching into his waist area. When officers verbally challenged him, telling him he was under arrest, the man spun back towards them and brandished a knife. He raised the knife above his head and began yelling at officers.

One of the officers drew his duty pistol while another drew and then discharged his Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW), also known as a Taser. The CEW deployment was successful, causing the man to drop the knife and fall to the ground. The officers moved in and quickly took the suspect into custody. They recovered the knife during the arrest.

The victim received a non-life-threatening stab wound to the chest as well as other injuries during his escape from his attacker. He declined further medical treatment. As is standard practice anytime a CEW is deployed, the suspect was transported to hospital for evaluation. He was treated and released from hospital and transported to VicPD cells where he is being held for morning court.

The arrest occurred in a populated area and several people appeared to be filming the incident on their phones. Investigators are asking anyone with video of the incident and/or the arrest, or information about the incident, to call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1.