A 78-year-old man is in hospital with a fractured pelvis and other injuries after being shoved off a 12-metre cliff by a violent stranger.
The suspect was seen yelling and swearing at people on the beach along Dallas Road by Menzies Street, at about 1:45 p.m. Sunday.
He then climbed up an embankment, where the victim was standing, and shoved him from behind. The two men tumbled down the embankment, and the suspect landed on top of his unconscious victim.
A witness, who was walking nearby with his son, ran over to help but the suspect attacked him as well. The suspect threw the witness to the ground, hitting his head on a log. The witness got up and ran away and the suspect started chasing him.
The police arrived and arrested a 29-year-old Saanich man.
Due to the difficult terrain, the victim was not accessible to emergency responders by land, so the VicPD’s marine response unit picked him up.
rholmen@vicnews.com