A massive manhunt that ended in the Gorge Waterway snarled evening traffic in View Royal.
At approximately 3 p.m., members of the West Shore RCMP spotted a man wanted on several criminal charges, including being Unlawfully at Large, out of Kelowna and Vernon.
In an attempt to run from police, the man jumped into the Gorge Waterway. Police attempted to negotiate with the man and have him return to the shoreline around the Craigowan Road peninsula. However, the man would not co-operate with police.
Instead, he kept walking away from police, with the water up to his waist, and made concerning comments about hurting himself.
The surrounding area was cordoned off by more than 30 officers from the West Shore RCMP, Saanich Police and the Victoria Police departments. View Royal Fire Rescue and Saanich Fire also responded with their boats.
The man was located approximately 40 minutes later on the shoreline, hiding in bushes, and was apprehended without further incident.
The 49-year-old man, with no fixed address, was taken into custody and will appear in court Thursday morning.
