It may have been an imprudent move, but it got results.
Last Friday (Oct. 8), a storeowner and patron decided to take matters into their own hands when shoplifters targetted the new Rogers Wireless story in the Spectacle Building.
It began at around 6 p.m. when three individuals walked into the Garibaldi Highlands store. Two of the individuals distracted and blocked store manager Rick Momin allowing the third to gain access to a storage room.
While in the storage room the third suspect - a woman described as dark-haired, about 28 years old and five feet tall - filled a black reusable grocery bag with cash and cell phones.
Momin noticed her attempting to flee with the merchandise and briefly struggled with her until she surrendered the cell phones.
Everyone then scattered as the woman with cash still in hand ran towards the highway before doubling back through a field to Tantalus Road.
The struggle was witnessed through a window by a customer of the newly opened neighbouring grocery store, Kitchen Quickies, and the store's owner, Daniel Jensen.
The patron jumped into in his vehicle and Jensen pursued the woman on foot, apprehending her on Tantalus Road where they both persuaded her to give up the approximately $100 in cash she had stolen.
Jensen said they released her "against their better judgement."
"There is uncertainty as to what constitutes reasonable force as David Chen is now on trial in Toronto for holding a similar criminal," he said, referring to the Toronto storeowner who locked a repeat shoplifter in a van while awaiting police only to face charges of forcible confinement.
The pair did continue following the woman, however, since they were unsure if she still had stolen merchandise.
She entered the Highlands Video Store and by the time police arrived, she had ducked out the back.
RCMP Cpl. Dave Ritchie said that although this incident "turned out OK," police do not encourage people taking criminal matters into their own hands.
"It's the same old adage, you never know who you're dealing with," he said.
"Our biggest concern is the danger to the person detaining someone because people can pull out a weapon of any sort - knives, needles, guns or worse.
"Also we'd like to confirm the identity ourselves when we're dealing with people like that."
There happened to be several officers in the vicinity, said Ritchie, and they were able to respond quickly with a dog in tow, but the woman was not found.
Police continue to investigate by reviewing surveillance video and canvassing the area.
