Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
File: 22-35565
Victoria, BC – VicPD officers located a person in significant medical and mental health distress after an hours-long search which began when a passerby discovered a pool of blood in Esquimalt on Saturday morning.
At approximately 8:45 a.m. Saturday morning, VicPD officers were called to a bus stop in the 1200-block of Esquimalt Road after a passerby discovered a large pool of blood. As officers investigated, they discovered that there was a trail of blood that extended throughout the neighbourhood. Concerned that a person may be suffering from potentially life-threatening injuries and after confirming that no one with potentially related injuries was in hospital, officers began an extensive search. Officers with VicPD’s Forensic Identification Section (FIS) and staff with VicPD’s Community Engagement Division (CED) responded.
During officers’ search they were approached by citizens who had spotted blood and were concerned for the person’s safety. They assisted by providing officers with both the locations and the times they discovered blood in the neighbourhood.
Officers, both on foot and in vehicles, traced a trail that extended over 2 kilometers across the Township of Esquimalt, into Vic West and then into downtown Victoria. Officers located several scenes with significant amounts of blood. Officers located bloodied clothing at one location which further increased their concern that an unidentified person was in significant medical distress.
A VicPD Esquimalt Division officer was able to locate surveillance footage that showed a person in the 1200-block of Esquimalt Road the previous night with an active, untreated injury, which they appear to disregard. The officer observed the person on video leave the frame with a significant pool of blood left behind. A still photograph of the injured party was then circulated to officers.
Minutes later, a Patrol officer in downtown Victoria spotted a person who matched the still photograph. The officer approached the person and discovered that they were in both medical and psychological distress, with untreated injuries related to a medical condition that were resulting in significant bleeding. The person refused medical treatment. They were apprehended by officers under the Mental Health Act and brought to hospital for treatment.
To date, the investigation indicates that the person’s injuries were due to a medical condition and not a criminal matter.
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