Police are seeking the public's help in locating a suspect in an armed robbery that occurred on the weekend at a Squamish cold beer and wine store.
On Saturday (April 9) at 8:39 p.m., police received a 911 report of a robbery at the Best Western Mountain Retreat Hotel's cold beer and wine store. The male suspect, who was wearing a hoodie and a scarf, entered through the front door and pulled out a weapon from his waistband, RCMP Staff Sgt. Guy Pollock said in a statement.
The suspect then demanded money and the clerk obliged with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. After he left the store, he encountered a woman who had witnessed the robbery and pointed the gun at her. He then fled on foot, headed south, Pollock said.
A police dog team tracked the robber a short distance before the track was lost. The dog did find clothing that the robber had been wearing and was left abandoned on a trail south of the store.
The suspect is described as approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a slight build.
The same business was the scene of a similar incident late last year. On Nov. 30, an employee stocking shelves at the store was sprayed with "a substance that incapacitated her," and the suspect stole and undisclosed amount of cash from the register and fled on foot. The description of the suspect in that incident wasn't the same as the one in the more recent crime, however. It's not known whether any arrests have been made in the earlier incident.
Squamish RCMP are asking that that anyone with information about either incident phone the detachment at (604) 892-6100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Store robbed
Two of three males who used what police called an "improvised weapon" to rob the 7-Eleven store at Highway 99 and Cleveland Avenue on Tuesday (April 12) were later arrested and were set to appear in court the same day.
On Tuesday at around 4 a.m., three males brandished a weapon in front of the store clerk and demanded money and other items. They got away with a small amount of money and cigarettes, Pollock said.
A police dog team tracked the three behind Howe Sound Secondary School and into an apartment building on Buckley Avenue. The dog, tracking the weapon used in the robbery, tracked down one male in the lobby of the building. A second male who was seen swimming across a nearby slough was tracked into the yard of a nearby home and bitten by the dog. He was taken to Squamish Hospital for treatment of his injury, Pollock said. The matter remains under investigation.
Driver injured
A woman sustained what appeared to be head and internal injuries in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 99 just north of Cat Lake on April 5.
Police, Squamish Fire Rescue Service and B.C. Ambulance Service personnel responded to the crash at 5 a.m. The female driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel and was driving erratically just before the crash. Her vehicle crossed over the centre line and up the bottom of a cement divider, launching into the air, Pollock said.
It travelled about 30 metres before rolling down a bouldered embankment. The driver was taken to Squamish Hospital for treatment of her injuries. Charges are expected once the investigation is complete, Pollock said.
Hit-and-run driver sought
Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run crash that occurred on Saturday (April 9) at 12:16 p.m. at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Hunter Place.
A woman was driving with two small children when the vehicle stopped their car at a red light and was struck by a large black truck. The truck's male driver got out of the vehicle and spoke to the woman, but then left the scene without providing his particulars, Pollock said. The woman was injured in the crash and was taken to Squamish Hospital for treatment.
The suspect is described as an older male with long, grey hair. Anyone with information is asked to phone Squamish RCMP at (604) 892-6100 and refer to file 2011-2115.
Security camera stolen
On Saturday at 3:15 a.m., employees at the Greyhound bus terminal reported that the security camera at the rear of the terminal had been stolen. Police investigation resulted in the arrest of the male responsible for the theft. He was released on a promise to appear in court.
Break-in suspect nabbed
On Monday (April 11) at 7:55 a.m., a Garibaldi Highlands resident phoned 911 to report that a male had tried to open the back door of her home. While police were en route to the home, the woman called back to say that the man had smashed a window, but that the woman's husband had scared the would-be intruder away.
The residents were able to provide a good description of the man, and he was arrested a short distance away. The suspect, who had been living in the woods near Valleycliffe for the previous few days, was set to appear in North Vancouver Provincial Court on Tuesday. Results of that hearing were unavailable at press time.
