Someone robbed a store and stabbed the clerk in Courtenay on Friday night.
The Comox Valley RCMP have released pictures and video footage of a suspect involved in what they described as a serious robbery in the hopes of getting assistance from the public to identify the man.
At 8:20 p.m. on Sept. 18, RCMP received a report that a robbery and serious assault had just occurred at a business on the 1000-block of Ryan Road in Courtenay.
The victim reported she was working inside the store when a man entered, approached the employee, then stabbed her. A co-worker quickly came to help her while the suspect took money and cigarettes, then left the scene.
“Our front-line officers were at the scene in less than three minutes; however, the suspect fled through the front door of the business and was last seen running through the parking lot behind the Mex Pub and Washington Inn Apartments,” said Const. Monika Terragni, Comox Valley RCMP media relations officer. “We are confident that there are people who will recognize the male or who may have seen the suspect after he left the store. Please, if you were in the area, take the time to think back about everything you saw. Additionally, if you were driving through the area, please review any dashcam footage you might have.”
The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, approximately 20 to 30 years old and roughly 5’9” tall with a thin build. He was wearing a cloth face mask, blue jeans and possibly a black “Iron Maiden” hoodie with white writing down the left arm.
Investigators from the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crime Unit are still in the area gathering evidence and are being assisted by the Integrated Forensic Identification Section, Police Dog Services and additional frontline members.
Anyone with information, surveillance or dashcam footage is asked to call the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321. If you wish to make an anonymous report, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca.