A strange home-invasion incident sent a Saanich woman to the hospital on Monday morning.
A 33-year-old male was held in custody for court appearance on Tuesday, with Saanich Police recommending charges of assault with a weapon and unlawfully in a dwelling house.
The episode started at about 9 a.m., when a FedEx delivery driver was delivering a package to the home in the 2800-block of Adelaide Ave. The driver spoke to the homeowner, a 40-year-old woman who was home alone with her infant child.
Because an extra amount of payment was required for the delivery, the woman went inside to phone her husband to confirm the payment was needed. As she did so, the FedEx driver waited outside.
That’s when an unknown male physically pushed past the FedEx driver, opened the front door, and entered the home.
“Basically, the woman gets off the phone with her husband, who confirms the payment, and as she walks around the corner there’s a guy in her front hallway, and the door is open,” said acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie.
The suspect then muttered something about the FedEX package, though exactly what is still to be confirmed. He then attempted to flee, with the package, into the home. When the woman followed him, the suspect picked up a potted plant and used it to strike her several times on the head. The suspect then fled out the front door, Leslie said.
At that point, the FedEx driver’s actions were crucial to tracking down the suspect.
“The FedEx driver was alert, called 911 with a very good description, and followed the suspect, keeping visual continuity.”
Saanich Police responded quickly and made an arrest. The suspect is from Victoria and is well known to Saanich Police.
Meanwhile, the woman had also called 911 immediately to report the attack. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“This incident is very unusual as this residential neighbourhood is a very safe area in our community,” Leslie said.