St. Albert police have caught and charged a man who threatened people with a knife at Canadian Tire.
Staff at the St. Albert Canadian Tire store confronted a man who was attempting to steal a set of footwear at about 8:45 p.m. on July 12, said St. Albert RCMP Cst. MJ Burroughs. The man pulled out a knife and threatened patrons as he ran out of the store.
Police spotted the man running behind St. Albert Centre (which is next to Canadian Tire) toward the foot bridge across the Sturgeon River. They arrested the man in the nearby green space without incident.
Burroughs said armed robberies such as this one were very rare in St. Albert, and that there had been no noticeable trends in violent crime in the city this year. While every store has its own policy on shoplifters, some employ trained staff to confront potential thieves.
“We never know who may be carrying a weapon,” Burroughs said, so the police generally advise caution when confronting shoplifters.
“Your safety and the safety of people in the store are the priority.”
Dorian McBean, 38, of Edmonton has been charged with theft, robbery, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. (Canada’s Criminal Code distinguishes between “theft,” or stealing, and “robbery,” or stealing while armed with a weapon/using violence.) He was released on a promise to appear in St. Albert Provincial Court on Aug. 14, 2023.
