Man charged in string of 7 Halifax, Dartmouth robberies

Halifax Regional Police have laid charges in relation to seven robberies that happened in Halifax and Dartmouth in the past month.

Police say in the first robbery, a lone male demanded cash from a clerk at the Needs store on Robie Street in Halifax just after 2 a.m. on Feb. 11. He left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and no one was injured.

The second, which happened at 2 p.m. that same day, involved a man demanding cash from a cashier at the C Shop on Young Street in Halifax. Like the first robbery, the lone male left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash, and there were no injuries reported.

Shortly after 9 p.m. on March 1, police were called to Griffin’s Smoke Shop on Windsor Street in Halifax after a man entered the shop and demanded cash from the store clerk. Again, the suspect left the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of money and no one was injured.

Five days later, on March 6, police were called to another Griffin’s Smoke Shop location on Wyse Road in Dartmouth at 1:45 p.m. Like the other robberies, a lone male made off with cash as well as a package of cigarettes. No one was injured in the robbery.

On March 7 at about 9:40 a.m., police responded to a suspicious person call at Scotia Square on Duke Street in Halifax. It was reported a lone man demanded cash at two stores — BP Corner News on Barrington Street and Dollarama inside Scotia Square — after making small purchases. No one was injured in either of those incidents.

In the seventh robbery, a man is reported to have demanded cash from the Griffin’s Smoke Shop on Mumford Road in Halifax at about 9:45 a.m. on March 7. A security guard on the premises chased and apprehended the man, who had fled the area on foot with cash and cigarettes.

Police officers arrived shortly after and arrested the suspect.

Anthony James Guitard, 29, of Halifax is facing five charges of robbery and two charges of attempted robbery in relation to the incidents. He is expected in Halifax provincial court Wednesday.