Police have a suspect in custody after a wallet was snatched from an 81-year-old woman.
Saanich Police report the woman exited a bank on the 800 block of Vernon Avenue at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when she was called over by a man in a vehicle.
The suspect asked the woman for directions, and as she reached the vehicle window and pointed out the direction he grabbed the wallet she was holding in her hand. The suspect sped off in his vehicle, with the 81-year-old attempting to chase after the vehicle before stopping to call police.
Saanich Police is located across the street from the bank and officers were quickly on the scene. Police located a witness who wrote down the licence plate of the vehicle.
The vehicle was spotted a few hours later by Shawnigan Lake RCMP and a 35-year-old South Island man arrested. He is facing one count of theft under $5,000 and one count of unauthorized use of a credit card. He is scheduled to appear in court next month.
“We would like to remind people to secure their belongings before they leave financial institutes,” said acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie. “Even if you’re in an extremely safe neighbourhood there is always someone who is looking to take advantage of a situation.”