A 43-year-old man has been arrested and charged after two purses were stolen Sunday afternoon from inside the Red Robin restaurant on Tolmie Avenue.
Saanich police Sgt. Julie Fast said a man entered the restaurant about 2 p.m. and grabbed two purses that were on a chair beside a table of diners.
He raced out and crossed Blanshard Street, dropping the purses in the process. Restaurant staff chased him on foot, while a bystander got into his car and tracked the suspect to Alder Street.
That bystander saw him attempting to hide behind a fence, and was able to get to him and hold him until police arrived.
The suspect is known to police. He was wanted on a warrant and now faces new charges including two counts of theft and four counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
