As incidents of people wearing clown costumes and threatening others make international headlines, a man reportedly wearing a clown mask broke into a diving store in downtown Victoria today.
Police were called to Frank White's Dive Store on the 16-hundred block of Blanshard shortly after 6:30 this morning.
Staff have told CTV Vancouver Island that several diving knives were stolen. Police say an axe handle connected to a chain and a pair of jogging pants were recovered in an alley behind the store.
Police say there's nothing to suggest the incident is related to a recent trend in North America of people in clown costumes chasing others and threatening schools.
Several parents in Colwood have shared stories on Facebook in the last few days of balloons being left on the sideview mirrors of their vehicles carrying messages like, "I know where you sleep at night. Beware. Signed, Killer Clown."
West Shore RCMP say they have received a few reports of clown sightings on social media, but no formal complaints have been filed. The mounties say they may initiate an investigation, and they ask citizens to report any threats being made to police.