Victoria and Saanich police end search for 2 men dressed in camouflage, saying there was no risk to public

Both the Victoria and Saanich police departments ended five hours of searches Thursday evening for two men in camouflage, saying they found the pair unarmed and that there was no risk to the public.

Victoria police tweeted just before 9 p.m. they were "deployed to the downtown core" after someone reported two men "possibly carrying a firearm."

Two suspects with very similar descriptions were originally reported to police in Saanich around 4 p.m., about a block from the scene of Tuesday's deadly shootout between would-be bank robbers and police.

"Both males have been identified," said Saanich Police Department in a tweet around 10 p.m. "There were no weapons involved and no risk to the public.

"Thank you for your patience while we investigated."

Victoria police tweeted it "does not appear to be a criminal incident," and confirmed the person they spoke with was the same man from earlier in the afternoon in Saanich.

Saanich police said officers were deployed near Richmond Road and Pear Street late Thursday afternoon and tweeted they were searching for two "suspicious" men, at least one of whom was "possibly carrying a long gun" and wearing "army-type" clothing."

The Saanich force said officers searched from Mt. Tolmie to McKenzie Avenue, with help from the RCMP's Emergency Response Team and an aircraft, because they already had the additional resources on hand in the aftermath of Tuesday's bank robbery.

Earlier, police said they had one person in custody following reports of a suspicious person in the area, but around 7 p.m. tweeted that detention was also "unrelated" to their search, and Kowalewich said the person was released without charge.

In an update on Twitter, the Saanich Police Department said despite the arrest, officers continue to search the area, and there are no public safety concerns at this time.

The community of Saanich is on high alert after six police officers were injured and two suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire following a robbery at the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street.

At the time, police said they had received vague reports of a third person but could not confirm them and were continuing to investigate.