The owner of an Olds liquor store hit three times by armed robbery says he's instituting new procedures to try to prevent any more such occurrences.
ìWe're going to keep it locked after certain hours nowadays,î says Rocky Mountain Liquor Store owner Vick Bagga.
The latest armed robbery at that business occurred May 8 at 10:58 p.m. and Olds RCMP are asking for your help to find the suspect.
ìBrandishing a knife, the male jumped the counter and cornered the employee. The male demanded cash as well as the employee's watch,î an RCMP news release says.
ìThe male left the store with approx $200 cash, the watch and several bottles of liquor. The male was observed driving away in a black two door car.î
Police say the suspect is a clean-shaven Caucasian with ìlighter-coloured eyes.î He is between 6 feet and 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds.
If you have any information about this armed robbery or the suspect, please contact the Olds RCMP detachment at 403-556-3324 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 or online at http://www.centralalbertacrimestoppers.ca.
Bagga was behind the till at the time. He's the one the robber approached.
ìWhen he entered, he just jumped the counter and came right in front of me,î Bagga told the Albertan.
ìWe don't have too much space behind the counter. I was kind of squished between him and the chair; I didn't have anywhere to go.
ìSpace was very tight and he was kind of holding my arm. He actually told me, he threatened me: ëI'll cut your arm, don't move.'
ìI just said, ëtake the money.' I didn't care. He went around the counter after that and then I jumped and went out. I said, ëyou know what? You do whatever you want, please let me out of here.' He took the till ñ part of the till.
ìSo when he went away from me towards the end of the counter, then I jumped the counter the same way he came. I said, ëwell, if he can jump the counter, I can jump the counter and go out.'
ìYou never know with these people, right? If I'm outside the store at least I'm safe,î he added.
Bagga rushed out of the store. He's the one who took a photo of the suspect's car.
ìI thought he was going to come towards me because his car was facing south, towards the highway. He was coming towards me so I came towards the store then.
ìThen he made a U-turn and went away and I wasn't able to get his licence plate. He was too fast. And I didn't want to be a hero anyways.
ìHe dropped a few bills on the way,î he added with a laugh.
This is the third armed robbery that Bagga can recall at Rocky Mountain Liquor in Olds. He figures the first one occurred about four years ago. The second one occurred on Jan. 31 this year.
Bagga says he and RCMP suspect the thief who robbed his store May 8 is the same person who did so on Jan. 31. But he doesn't think that same suspect was involved in the one that occurred about four years ago.
Bagga says he may have enabled the May 8 robbery.
ìIt was kind of a little bit of my mistake,î he says. ìWe usually lock from inside -- until a customer appears, then we open.
ìWhat happened (that night) was, there was another customer just before him. Just 30 seconds before him. That's why I opened ñ for her. In the meantime, he came in quickly. Maybe he was watching.î
Bagga says that's the reason the store will now be locked ìafter a certain time.î
He suspects another reason his business was hit is that it's close to Highway 27, thereby enabling the thief to leave the area quickly.
Olds RCMP Cpl. Michael Black is not sure why the store has been hit repeatedly by thieves.
ìI don't know if it's the first liquor store that comes into play if you're coming into town,î he says.
ìI can't say it's any more prevalent or more prone compared to any other one (but) it is kind of a little squirrelled away there in that little strip mall.î
"He threatened me: 'I'll cut your arm, don't move.'"VICK BAGGAOWNER ROCKY MOUNTAIN LIQUOR, OLDS
