Vancouver police say a man will spend two years behind bars after pleading guilty to robbing a downtown convenience store last fall and repeatedly stabbing the shopkeeper.
Gidu Nam, who operates the 888 Mini Market on Beach Avenue, told Global News he had to take time off work after the Oct. 21 incident.
Nam was stabbed in both arms, and said the knife came close to his eye at one point.
Police say Dillon Gosnell, 45, pleaded guilty to a single count of robbery.
The robbery and assault came as downtown merchants reported an increase in robberies, violence and theft.
At the time, police said they hadn’t noticed an increase in thefts downtown.
Weeks later the department changed its tone and acknowledged “an increase in people being brazen and violent during shoplifts.”
Police revealed they had been operating a three-week sting operation aimed at shoplifters and cited operational security to explain their earlier comments.
In February, police said they had made 26 arrests and recommended more than 150 charges as the result of a three-month operation targeting violent property crime.
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