Signs of encouragement, hope and love were posted on a Manitoba Liquor Mart Thursday after employees were injured during an armed robbery, sending one woman to hospital.
The signs, posted on the Tyndall Park Liquor Mart, were written on neon-coloured paper with encouraging messages.
“Tyndall Park is full of good people. Be one!!” said one.
“Criminals never win,” reads another. “This mall is a safe and peace-filled place. #TyndallStrong.”
On Wednesday afternoon, three males entered the liquor mart and stole several bottles of alcohol. One male, who turned out to be a 15-year-old boy, assaulted the female clerks and became “enraged with the staff,” Const. Rob Carver said the next day.
The teen punched one clerk in the face, sending her to hospital, then went on a rampage through the mall assaulting people and demanding money, before leaving the mall and trying to carjack a vehicle, said police.
Carver said when he threatened two women with a bottle for their purses, bystanders intervened and he was held until officers got there. He is in custody.
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries will be replacing the store entrance with a secure entrance, similar to pot shops, in which people will have to hand over photo ID before being allowed in.
Parents will also no longer be able to bring in their children to the store, as minors will no longer be allowed.