A 46-year-old Sooke man was arrested for abduction after an incident in Metchosin on Wednesday morning.
West Shore RCMP arrested the man, who tried to pick up a seven-year-old boy from the summer camp at Pearson College.
About 8:30 a.m., camp staff called called 911 to report an abduction in progress, while a number of staff members tried to stop the man. One used their own vehicle to try and block the man’s escape from campus.
RCMP officers found the man’s vehicle nearby after receiving a separate report of a suspicious occurrence.
With the assistance of a member of the RCMP Emergency Response Team, officers arrested the man and secured the child. The boy was unharmed and returned to his guardians.
The man was unknown to the staff and not on the approved list to pick up the child.
“We wish to commend the staff at the summer camp and nearby residents for their quick actions and reporting,” said West Shore operations commander Raj Sandhu. “This enabled our officers to respond quickly and appropriately, leading us to the best-case outcome, the safe and immediate recovery of the child and the arrest of the suspect.”
The man, who police said is known to the child but is not a parent, was in police custody while the investigation continues.
