Charges expected against man who leaped into icy water from B.C. ferry

VANCOUVER – A man is in police custody and is being assessed at a Victoria hospital after a bizarre series of events that began when he jumped off a B.C. ferry.

The unnamed man was a passenger aboard the Coastal Celebration at about 10 p.m. Wednesday when BC Ferries confirms he launched a 100-person life raft from the ship as it entered Active Pass, west of Swartz Bay.

RCMP Sgt. Rod Pick says the man then leaped into the frigid water but a search by crew from the vessel and a second ferry failed to find any trace of him.

At almost the same time, Pick says a resident of Galiano Island reported she ran from her home after a wet, naked, incoherent man burst in and began throwing furniture.

Officers from several detachments arrived on the island and arrested a man inside the cabin of a nearby resort.

Pick says the man could face several charges linked to the incident on Galiano Island, while BC Ferries will also be pursuing charges.