Steven Anthony Willson, of no fixed address, made his first court appearance Monday, after he attempted to carjack two vehicles in Saanich on Sunday.
Sgt. Julie Fast, of the Saanich Police Department, said the 29-year-old man stands accused of two counts of robbery and assault causing bodily harm.
“He is known to police and has a criminal record,” she said. The current charges against him stem back to Sunday night when he attempted to steal two vehicles, first from a gas station at the corner of Douglas Street and Tolmie Avenue, and then a vehicle from the parking lot of a nearby Tim Horton’s.
RELATED: Saanich police arrest man after two failed carjacking attempts
In both cases, witnesses intervened, according to Saanich Police.
During the first attempt, he entered a black sedan, whose male driver had just filled up at the gas station. During the second attempt, he opened the driver’s door of a Honda Civic occupied by a father and a daughter.
“The suspect began assaulting the father, who lost control of the car as it backed into a parked tow truck,” said Fast. The car then shifted into drive, striking three other cars, as it was moving through the parking lot, driving over a garden bed, and hitting a retaining wall before stopping.
The incident remains under investigation.
