Chilliwack family has close call as rogue arrow pierces car

A Chilliwack family driving in Abbotsford on Sunday had their car pierced by an arrow.

Wes DeLong and his family were driving on Peardonville Road in Abbotsford just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday when something hit their car. 

"We didn't know what it was," he said. "It wasn't a rock. Within a few seconds I thought, maybe someone shot at us."

The father of three pulled over the vehicle and found an inch-wide hole in his car's door frame above the driver's side window.

He wondered if a shot was fired at the car in a case of possible mistaken identity. 

Abbotsford police initially told DeLong they thought it was a .22-calibre bullet hole. Officers later found a 60-centimetre-long arrow on the road. 

DeLong said his first reaction was one of concern and anger. 

"Why would someone do that?" he said. 

Abbotsford police say they've gone door to door in a two-block radius to investigate, and are looking for security camera footage.

Archery instructor Patricia Gonsalves said the shape of the hole in the vehicle suggests the arrowhead was a bodkin point, which was commonly used in the Middle Ages for warfare.

She says bodkin points are usually found in historical recreations and can be dangerous.

The incident, while frightening, could have been worse, she said.

The hole in the car was only about 15 to 20 centimetres above where the driver's head would have been.  

"With the amount of force needed to actually punch through the metal of the vehicle, it would have gone through the glass no problem," Gonsalves said.  

DeLong hopes the person responsible comes forward. Paying for the damages, he says, would be a bonus.

"Whether it was an accident or on purpose, I'd love to meet you, 'fess up," he said. "I'm a big believer in forgiveness, but also restorative justice and making it right. So if you want to do the right thing, please come forward and we can just all move on."