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Saanich police find man 'held captive' stumbling from rooming house

Two Saanich residents arrested and held on charges of unlawful confinement

A rooming house in the 3800-block of Tillicum Rd. is still behind police tape after Saanich police came across a bloodied man stumbling from the residence who claimed he'd been held against his will early Monday morning.

The 30-year-old man was discovered by police officers sometime around 2:30 a.m. after police traced a car to the residence. The vehicle had been connected to a possible shoplifting incident at a nearby grocery store earlier in the evening.

"The male appeared to be distressed and claimed he'd been held captive at an outbuilding on the property," said Saanich police Sgt. Steve Eassie.

Shortly after, police arrested a man and a woman found inside the outbuilding, then proceeded to search the rooming house, Eassie said.

"Investigators were not convinced the entire incident took place inside the outbuilding," he said.

About nine people were vacated from the home as police awaited a search warrant, which was executed Tuesday morning. Eassie did not release any information on further evidence, if any, recovered inside residence.

Eassie said the victim was sent to hospital and had suffered a broken nose, broken ribs, facial lacerations and bruising. The man was known to several people inside the residence, and both the victim and suspects are known to police, he said.

"The circumstances are a little grey at this point," Eassie said. We do believe this person was held for greater than 24 hours. … It's fortunate officers were there when he escaped."

Two people, James Colin Walker, 38, and Name Maya McKay, 45, appeared in court today on charges of assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement.