What looked like kidnapping turned out to be a prank.
Shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 29, Victoria Police (VicPD) received multiple 9-1-1 calls about a group of males who had placed a bag over another man’s head before pulling him into a white van.
VicPD investigative units and the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team were deployed to respond to the incident, which occurred downtown near the Victoria Courthouse.
The white van was soon located in Victoria just a few hours before police identified the individuals associated with it.
VicPD eventually determined the affair was just a bachelor party stunt gone wrong.
“We appreciate people wanting to have fun, but this took it too far,” VicPD staff sergeant Shawn Robson said in a news release. “The initial reports led us to believe a violent kidnapping was in progress, requiring an immediate and significant response to a situation that turned out to be false. We are urging everyone to please be cognizant of how any innocent prank will be viewed to others in our community.”
