Nanaimo man nearly severs arm in alleged robbery, bystanders save his life: RCMP

Nanaimo RCMP are crediting quick-thinking bystanders with saving the life of an alleged thief who nearly severed his arm breaking a window.

Const. Gary O’Brien said a 28-year-old man entered a Petro-Canada gas station on Terminal Avenue just before 6 p.m. on Saturday and stole the till.

“For unknown reasons he threw the till at the door then picked it up and walked back outside again,” he said.

“Then, for another unknown reason, we believe he was under the influence of drugs and or alcohol, he punched the glass bay door which is adjacent to the business itself and severely injured his arm.

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“He was actually bleeding out.”

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O’Brien said two women and a man ran to the man’s aid and used a bungee cord to tie off his arm and slow down the bleeding.

Police then arrived and applied a tourniquet, before the man was handed off to paramedics and taken to hospital.

“The attending physician said it it wasn’t for the emergency first aid this man probably would have died,” O’Brien said.

He added it’s still unclear whether the suspect’s arm can be saved.

O’Brien said the man hasn’t been charged, but remains under investigation and is known to police.

As for the civilians who stepped in, O’Brien said police are hailing them as heroes.

“There was blood all over him, but that didn’t stop them from intervening… They were so quick, and just the idea of grabbing that bungee cord, because they didn’t have a tourniquet was amazing,” he said.

“We’ll certainly be recognizing them for some kind of award.”