Bowie knife makes poor table guest
The Oak Bay resident, 29, sat down uninvited beside some pub goers in a booth. Although the patrons weren’t threatened, Oak Bay police Sgt. Dave McMillan confirmed the man had a Bowie knife, often used for hunting, in his hand when he sat down.
The patrons quickly vacated the booth and staff called police, who confiscated the knife at the pub and transported the man to Royal Jubilee Hospital, where he was admitted for a psychiatric assessment.
Three witnesses were interviewed, one of whom is expected to submit a statement. No one was physically harmed in the incident.
The father of the disturbed man had called Oak Bay police earlier in the evening with concerns about his son, saying he had just left home and “wasn’t faring well mentally.”
Officers had been on the lookout for the man and searched the pub just before he arrived.
Staff at the Penny Farthing’s sister pub, the Irish Times, observe a strict policy to call police when suspicious individuals enter the premises, Penny Farthing general manager Trent Jones said. The Oak Bay staff have been instructed to do the same, he added.
“This particular incident was obviously a rare occurrence, but something we can all still learn from.”
vmoreau@oakbaynews.com