Grand Forks man in custody following gas station robbery

A B.C. man is in custody facing charges following a gas station robbery in Grand Forks on Wednesday.

Police allege that the robbery at the station on the 1500 block of Central Avenue on Jan. 15 was violent, stating the suspect assaulted the store clerk before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes.

Grand Forks RCMP say the victim suffered non-life threatening injuries during the 6 p.m. incident and was transported to a local medical facility for assessment and treatment.

Police say after an investigation at the scene, officers were able to identify a suspect and launch an intense search. The suspect was arrested a few hours later.

Jacob Carl Van Brakel, 32, of Grand Forks is facing four charges in relation to the incident, including one count of aggravated assault, one count of robbery and two counts of breaching his release order.

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“This was truly an exceptional response done by my frontline officers,” said Sgt. Darryl Peppler and Grand Forks detachment commander.

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“My dayshift officers stayed on to assist the nightshift, and all officers remained engaged from the onset to ensure we located this person immediately.”

Van Brakel’s next court appearance will be Feb. 11. He is also facing an assault charge stemming from Nov. 18.