A thief made off with the possessions belonging to a group of young dancers practising at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Saanich on Sunday.
The man was seen entering the woman's change room during a dance practice around 2 p.m. He was confronted by a woman, who asked him to leave.
When she checked the change room, it was apparent that items were missing so she called police.
A man matching a description of the suspect was found a short distance away near Cloverdale Avenue and Blanshard Street.
He fled when confronted by police, but he was caught a block away.
Police were able to recover all the stolen items, and they were returned to the young dancers.
A 25-year-old Saanich man was arrested and was charged with theft and escaping lawful custody.
kslavin@saanichnews.com