Saanich police believe the man who went on a dangerous joyride Sunday afternoon was high on cocaine when the incident took place.
The man, a 28-year-old Esquimalt resident, wound up crashing his vehicle in a ditch in the 600-block of Wilkinson Pl. around 2:45 p.m. but not before trying to run other vehicles off the road, including a police SUV, and driving straight through multiple fences and a large shed.
A police canine unit helped apprehend the man, and it took five officers to restrain him before handcuffs could be secured on his wrists.
Sgt. Dean Jantzen said the officers at the scene were concerned with the man's safety and believed him to be under the influence of drugs.
Police escorted him in an ambulance where, on the way to hospital, he went into sudden cardiac arrest requiring paramedics to revive him.
Saanich police obtained two search warrants: one for the Nissan Maxima and one to gain access to his blood sample, taken Sunday.
The 28-year-old driver faces suggested charges of one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, impaired driving, resisting arrest, mischief to private property and possession of cocaine.
Several thousand dollars worth of damage was done through the course of the joyride.
kslavin@saanichnews.com