Suspect arrested after string of daytime break-ins in Victoria

Multiple Victoria police officers responded to the neighbourhod on Oct. 20, 2025. (CTV News)

Police in Victoria say a suspect was arrested Monday following a string of brazen residential break-ins in the B.C. capital region.

Officers were called first to a home in the 200 block of Beechwood Avenue, near Ross Bay, where a resident reported that a man had broken into their garage and then tried to break into the home, at approximately 12:30 p.m.

The suspect “reportedly used a heavy mallet or hammer” to gain access to the garage, the Victoria Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

“Investigators have been unable to locate the tool and are asking residents in the vicinity of Beechwood Avenue to check their yards for any unfamiliar items, as the suspect likely discarded it while fleeing,” the statement said.

About an hour after the suspect fled the scene, police were called about a break-in in progress at a home just a few hundred metres away, in the 300 block of St. Charles Street.

Police say the caller had confronted a man after seeing him leave their home with jewelry and other personal items.

“Significant police resources flooded the area and contained several blocks until the suspect was located by officers,” police said. “The suspect was subsequently arrested without further incident.”

Neighbourhood resident Jenna Poley told CTV News her child’s daycare was put into lockdown during the large police response.

“It was scary,” Poley said from the scene Monday afternoon. “It was eerily quiet on the whole block.”

Once the man was in custody, police received a third report of a break-in in the area from earlier that day. Investigators say a resident in the 1700 block of Lillian Road reported jewelry and other household items had been stolen.

“The arrested suspect was found in possession of the stolen items from the Lillian Road location, which have been returned to the homeowner,” police said.

Investigators believe the suspect may be connected to other break-ins that morning in the neighbouring municipality of Oak Bay, including one at a home in the 2000 block of Carrick Street.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incidents to contact the E-Comm non-emergency line at 250-995-7654 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

With files from CTV News Vancouver Island’s Yvonne Raymond