Telus out $40,000 in goods after robbery

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This article was published 12/05/2022 (1392 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thieves allegedly made off with around $40,000 in goods from a cellular store at the Corral Centre on Thursday.

The Brandon Police Service responded to a call at a business on the 800 block of 18th Street North at 9:10 a.m., said public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas. She confirmed the business was Telus.

Two suspects allegedly entered the business and demanded to know where the merchandise was located. The men then forced the store employee to turn over about $40,000 in cellular devices.

The employee was not injured.

The suspects allegedly fled the scene in a newer Mazda CX-5 or CX-8.

The two suspects were described as Black males wearing disposable gloves and face coverings, Sararas said. One suspect was described as five-foot-eight, and the other was wearing a white hoodie, dark pants and white sneakers.

Police continue to investigate the robbery.

A Sun reporter visited Telus Thursday, but no one was available for comment.

The theft of the devices comes after a separate attempted armed robbery that occurred on the 100 block of Victoria Avenue East on Monday evening.

A suspect allegedly demanded drugs from an employee while armed with a handgun. No employees were harmed in the incident and the 32-year-old man was quickly located and arrested by BPS.

The suspect was charged with attempted armed robbery, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed weapon, using a firearm during the commission of indictable offence, and possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition.

That same night, BPS responded to reports of an individual stealing merchandise from a business in the 500 block of First Street. The male suspect threatened to stab an employee after they attempted to prevent him from leaving.

The suspect left the business and nobody was injured.

Brandon police used security footage from the store to identify the man, who they later located and arrested. The suspect was eventually released on conditions to appear in court in July on a charge of theft under $5,000 and uttering threats.

Calls of these nature are prioritized by BPS at the highest level, Sararas said.

“Unfortunately, when stuff like this comes in that is more significant, other crimes get a lower priority, so they might not get dealt with as soon because officers’ resources are spent on the higher-profile cases,” Sararas said. “We will get to them. It just takes a bit more time if we have an influx of cases like this.”

Anecdotally speaking, she said, it may feel like crime is on the rise in Brandon.

“I don’t know for sure numbers-wise, but [over] the last couple of days it does feel like there has been an increase.”

However, she advised Brandon residents not to be afraid.

“I don’t think people need to be vigilant all the time. If they happen to see something and are a witness, the more detail they can recall for us the better.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp