Dangerous driver sentenced after ramming police vehicle near Victoria

The RCMP logo is seen in Surrey, B.C., on March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Mounties say a 24-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and one year of probation after ramming a police vehicle and evading officers on Vancouver Island.

Court records show Zachary Stormes was charged with fleeing from police, dangerous operation of a conveyance and two counts of breaching a release order following the March 12 incident in Colwood.

A statement from the West Shore RCMP says officers attempted to stop a black Mitsubishi Eclipse shortly after noon that day near the intersection of Metchosin Road and Latoria Boulevard, after the vehicle was found to be displaying a licence plate registered to a different vehicle.

The driver did not stop, instead driving away at a high rate of speed, police said.

“Front-line officers elected to not engage in an active pursuit due to concern for public safety, and instead began patrolling for the vehicle,” according to the statement issued Thursday.

The suspect vehicle was spotted approximately 15 minutes later on Latoria Road near Goldspur Road, where an officer tried to stop the vehicle but was again unsuccessful.

“The driver of the Eclipse rammed the police vehicle, rendering it undriveable,” the statement said.

The suspect was finally apprehended around 1 p.m. while backing out of a driveway on nearby Desmond Drive. Investigators say the suspect was attempting to flee a third time when an officer “proceeded to break the driver side window and remove the driver from the vehicle.”

According to police, the driver was carrying three knives at the time of his arrest, despite being bound by conditions banning him from possessing knives.

A 19-year-old passenger in the suspect vehicle was released without charges. “The investigation revealed they did not contribute to the offences committed by the driver,” police said.

Stormes pleaded guilty to the charges of dangerous driving and breaching a release order, according to the statement.

In addition to the jail sentence, the court imposed a two-year driving ban to commence upon his release, police said.

“This was a dynamic situation that placed the public at risk,” Insp. Stephen Rose said in the statement.

“The suspect was safety taken into custody without any member of the public being harmed.”