Chaos in downtown Victoria: Police reprimand mentally ill man who attacked paramedics

A brawl broke out in downtown Victoria on Thursday night (July 11) after a man who social workers say suffers from severe mental health issues and a seizure disorder was surrounded by police and tasered after attacking a paramedic.

Grant McKenzie, a spokesman for Our Place, said staff at the nonprofit social services organization tried unsuccessfully to get help for the person – identified by police as Hayden Hamlyn but known to others as Joshua.

“For months we have been calling for help for the person accused of the attack … she has suffered numerous head injuries and is not of sound mind,” McKenzie said. “And we have not been able to get her the help she needs.”

Meanwhile, Del Manak, Victoria’s police chief, called it an “escalation of aggressive behavior and violence toward first responders” and said he had reached an agreement with the city that paramedics and firefighters would not respond to emergency calls in that block of Pandora without police on site.

“Let me be clear: This is a necessary step in response to the escalating tensions we have observed. However, it will result in significant workload pressures on the VicPD and shorten the timeliness of the medical response in situations where every second counts,” Manak’s statement said.

A VicPD press release said officers were surrounded by about 60 hostile bystanders after the arrest and were forced to call in additional officers from neighbouring police departments. VicPD wrote on social media that officers from Saanich and Oak Bay, as well as the West Shore RCMP, were among them.

According to police, at around 7:50 p.m. Thursday, paramedics were stopped in the 900 block of Pandora for a man in need of medical attention. While treating the man, he attacked one of the paramedics, punching and kicking him in the face. The paramedic fled toward a fire truck, but was pursued by the man.

The paramedic was taken to the hospital for treatment, as were two police officers with minor injuries. Hamlyn was charged Friday with assault, battery with a weapon and obstructing a peace officer. He remains in custody.

Joseph White identified himself as Hamlyn’s uncle and said he witnessed the arrest. He said his nephew was 26 years old but called him Joshua instead of Hayden. Other people Black Press Media spoke to said he was known by both names.

“The police were all standing around him trying to calm him down,” White said. “I tried to get him to go into the ambulance with the paramedics.”

Then a scuffle started between Hamlyn and one of the paramedics.

“And the police have to protect the paramedics, I understand that,” White said. “But then they went too far.”

White said he has noticed changes in Hamlyn in recent months and that they have worsened in recent weeks since an earlier confrontation with police.

“He’s paranoid right now and thinks everyone wants to kill him,” White said. “He’s very scared.”

White said there were about 10 police officers surrounding Hamlyn and that police tasered him two or three times when he wouldn’t calm down. Then the scene got even more dire and bystanders became involved.

Both McKenzie, White and a man named “Jacob” – who identified himself as a good friend of Hamlyn – said they had been trying to help Hamlyn for several months.

“He’s not himself anymore,” Jacob said, adding that lately it seems like Hamlyn has regressed to his childhood phase. “He’s scared and doesn’t know what’s going on.”

McKenzie said Our Place social workers called police, social workers and medical staff but were always told they had to “wait until something bad happens” before he could be treated under the Mental Health Act.

“First of all, we are very saddened that a first responder was injured. We believe everyone should be safe while doing their job,” McKenzie said. “We are also heartbroken because this incident could have been prevented.”