Kelowna RCMP say it took a co-ordinated effort to arrest a man whom police believe was behind a series of thefts and armed robberies in the Central Okanagan.
According to police, it took members from the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team along with plain-clothes officers to safely arrest the 23-year-old Kelowna man on Wednesday afternoon.
The man, whom police state was also wanted on an outstanding province-wide arrest warrant for an unrelated matter, in police custody at this time. He was said to be facing numerous criminal charges and is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
RCMP say three convenience stores were robbed over a four-day span.
The first occurred on June 15 at 11:03 a.m., when a convenience store along the 3000 block of Shannon Lake Road was robbed. Police say the suspect reportedly reached across the counter and grabbed cash from the till drawer once it was opened during a sale transaction.
The second occurred on June 16 at 12:52 p.m., when a suspect, after making a small purchase, stole a handful of cash from the open register from a convenience store along the 5300 block of Main Street.
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The third occurred on June 18 at 7:35 p.m., when a lone male entered the Mac’s convenience store along the 1000 block of Glenmore Road and allegedly stole the cash register drawer, which contained an undisclosed amount of money. Police say the suspect reportedly yielded a knife during the incident. No one was injured.
“The investigations remain ongoing at this time. However, RCMP have reason to believe that each of these alleged thefts and robberies are connected,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
“Due to the suspect’s escalating violent behaviour, covert plain-clothes operators were tasked with bringing him into custody safely. Those members of the RCMP Street Enforcement Team located their target Wednesday afternoon in Kelowna.
“To ensure public and police safety, a coordinated arrest was carried out by the Emergency Response Team, supported by additional front line officers, a police canine and even an aircraft.”
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An adult woman was also taken into police custody during the daytime takedown. She was later released.
Anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.