At approximately 11:20 am this morning the Oak Bay Police received a call from Monterey Middle School regarding an incident in which a young student had left his bicycle helmet on his bike and when he went to retrieve it, he observed an unknown man near the school grounds and the man had the students’ bike helmet in his possession.
The student approached the man and asked for his helmet back, and the man refused. The boy then grabbed the helmet away from the man and ran back to the school. The man followed the student and took hold of the students vest in an attempt to take the helmet back. The student broke free and ran into the school and advised the school Principal.
The Oak Bay Police were notified immediately and an officer responded to speak to the student, while other officers searched the area for the suspect in this theft.
The student was unharmed and was very cooperative with police, giving very descriptive details about the incident and the suspect. The male suspect is described as 20-30 years of age, very tall, approx.6’5”, very thin and wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and bright green runners. He was also described as having a black eye and bruising and scratches on his face and may have been wearing an eye patch over one eye.
The suspect is believed to have left on a bike and may have been associated to a small four door older model black car with a broken rear taillight.
The police continue to investigate and have issued a bulletin to other police departments in the area for their assistance in identifying the suspect. This was very likely an isolated incident in which a thief tried to get away with stealing a young boys bike helmet from a schoolyard. It’s a reminder that the theft of personal property is not worth risking your safety for. Parents are reminded to instruct their children not to approach strangers or take matters into their own hands, but notify a teacher or an adult immediately. Be a good witness and call police immediately.
There is no known threat or risk to the public at this time as a result of this incident.
