Man, woman arrested after crash in Sooke, B.C., led to ‘explosive device,’ police say

SOOKE, B.C. – Police on Vancouver Island say a man and a woman are in custody after a crash that led to the discovery of an "explosive device."

RCMP in Sooke, B.C., say in a statement that officers responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision along East Sooke Road and found an injured women at the scene.

It says the male driver ran off before police arrived, then they learned an explosive device was linked to the woman hurt in the crash and they called in the RCMP explosive disposal unit.

The Mounties say shortly after the crash they received another report that a security guard had been attacked nearby, and a truck was stolen.

They say an officer patrolling the area spotted the stolen truck down an embankment, and the driver, believed to be the same man who left the first crash, was arrested for theft and assault with a weapon.

Police don't described the explosive device but say the two vehicles involved have been seized for forensic analysis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2024.