Campbell River RCMP are looking for suspects after a pair of robberies in January.
In the early evening of Saturday, Jan. 15, a masked man threatened a retail employee with a knife.
Cont. Maury Tyre said the suspect was browsing in a store on the 600 block of 11th Ave. at 5:40 p.m. when he grabbed the weapon from a display case and demanded money at knifepoint.
The business did not conduct cash sales, so the suspect was out of luck, and fled with a few items of little value, according to Tyre.
“Officers were in the area extremely quickly, but the suspect was not located,” he added. “Members from Campbell River’s general duty watches and forensic unit are heavily engaged in the investigation in efforts to identify the suspect.”
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A few days prior, on Tuesday, Jan. 4, shortly before 1:00 p.m. a different suspect attempted to rob a bank on Shoppers Row.
Tyre said he passed a note to a teller with a message saying he would shoot them if money wasn’t handed over.
He escaped with ‘limited gains’ and is still at large.
“Both the robberies highlight an increase in violence and desperation that we are witnessing more frequently,” Tyre said. “It’s very important for the public to understand that these crimes typically cannot be solved in an hour like on TV. There is no magic CSI group with a cool soundtrack that can return DNA analysis in a minute.
“However, with the evidence available to us, a significant amount of public canvassing, and time we believe we should be able to identify and hold both suspects accountable.”
Anyone with information regarding these robberies, or other crimes, is encouraged to contact the Campbell River RCMP at 250-286-6221.
editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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