Man sought in alleged poppy donation box theft in Abbotsford

On the day dedicated to remembering our veterans, a man walked into an Abbotsford gas station and allegedly stole the poppy donation box.

Abbotsford police Cst. Paul Walker said the suspect grabbed the donation box from the Husky gas station at 2047 Sumas Way on Remembrance Day, and took off when the clerk looked away.

The clerk attempted to chase the suspect but the thief jumped on a mountain bike and rode off.

“Words can’t even explain what this has actually done,” Cst. Walker said. “We have veterans that paid the ultimate sacrifice, they’re just kicking off their ceremony that’s important to all Canadians and we have an individual who I would describe as selfish and has zero respect for anyone else but himself… it’s disgraceful.”

Cst. Walker said the suspect is described as a white male, 5’5″ tall with brown hair in his 20s. He was wearing a red and white jacket and a black toque. Police went through security footage to get a clear picture of the suspect, and released a photo on November 12.

If any knows anything about the incident, they are asked to call Abbotsford police or Crime Stoppers.

READ MORE: Man sought in alleged poppy donation box theft in Coquitlam

This poppy donation box theft is not the first to happen in B.C. There have been several other people involved in similar thefts earlier this month, which occurred in Coquitlam, Vernon and Nanaimo.