Police are hunting for a man who broke into a large Oak Bay home and attacked a woman with a machete Tuesday morning. The 45-year-old woman was seriously injured in what was thought to be a random home invasion.
About 7:30 a.m., a man broke into the home at 2590 Esplanade, which looks onto Willows Beach. The woman confronted the intruder and a struggle ensued. The man then attacked her with what she described to an emergency dispatcher as a machete.
The woman had significant injuries to her upper body but was able to call 911, said Oak Bay police spokesman Sgt. Rob Smith.
Oak Bay police arrived at the home minutes later. Officers provided first aid until Oak Bay firefighters and B.C. Ambulance paramedics arrived to treat the woman.
The man fled, sparking a hunt and resulting in area schools — Glenlyon Norfolk School and Willows Elementary School — being placed in a “secure and hold” mode, where outer doors are locked and no one is allowed to enter or leave. There was nothing to suggest the intruder was targeting the schools and Smith said the measures were precautionary. Officers from Victoria and Saanich were brought in to look for the attacker, with the help of dogs. They also canvassed for witnesses.
“This occurred on a bright, sunny Tuesday morning on Willows Beach,” Smith said. “The house is in plain view of the beach and the beach was being used by dog walkers. We are hoping that somebody saw something out of the ordinary this morning and can contact us with information.”
The attacker is described as heavyset, in his 20s, wearing a brown jacket, dark pants and a baseball cap, with a light blue and white handkerchief around his neck.
The woman was taken to hospital and was in surgery on Tuesday afternoon, Smith said.
He would not say whether she was stabbed or what type of injuries she suffered, other than to say they were serious.
Investigators have not been able to interview the woman and the man’s motive is unknown.
“We have no idea what he was there for,” Smith said.
There was forced entry to the home and the woman did not know the attacker, Smith said.
“In Oak Bay or even Greater Victoria, this is completely uncommon. I’ve been here for 20 years and never encountered anything even close to this.”
The woman was home alone at the time, but it’s unclear if anyone else lives at the home, Smith said.
The two-storey house has floor-to-ceiling glass panels flanked by two large pillars. The property has tidy landscaping, with shrubs and palm trees.
Smith said even though the man is at large and the weapon has not been recovered, the community is not in danger.
“We have no indication that the community is in danger at all, but the man is still out there and he showed violent tendencies this morning,” Smith said.
“We don’t know where he is. But again, the motive of this attack is unknown.”
Some parents of students at Glenlyon Norfolk School expressed worry Tuesday morning, especially since they were given little information until the secure and hold procedure was lifted about 10:30 a.m.
“I’m pretty upset that this has happened,” said Nicola Proctor, who has twin daughters in kindergarten at Glenlyon Norfolk School.
“The lack of information is the worst thing. If you don’t know what’s going on, you get all sorts of ideas about what might be happening.”
Jason Chan, whose daughter is in kindergarten, said he was in the neighbourhood for work and wasn’t sure what was going on.
“I think the school is just being vague because they don’t want to distress people, but the vagueness is distressing.”
The Saanich police major crime section is handling the investigation, since Oak Bay police contracts out major investigations to the larger department. Officers were still at the scene Wednesday morning, gathering evidence.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321.
