Bystanders hold robbery suspect until police arrive

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This article was published 15/08/2017 (2439 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police arrested an alleged thief Tuesday afternoon after bystanders near a downtown grocery store prevented him from getting away with cash and cigarettes.

A man enterted the store on the 500 block of Main Street about 3:30 p.m. wearing a balaclava and wielding a knife. An employee of the grocery store blocked the business’s door from the outside in an attempt to prevent his escape. After that, the man broke through an adjacent window and ran off, police said.

A nearby bystander tripped the fleeing suspect near Alexander Avenue and Main Street, causing him to fall to the ground and drop both his weapon and the stolen goods. The man got back up and grabbed the bag of stolen property, but bystanders continued to hold him until police arrived. However, before police got there, an unknown person picked up the bag and made off with it themselves.

Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Rob Carver said it was fortunate nobody was hurt during the incident, however that’s the “luck of the draw.”

“He could’ve still been armed with a knife, and certainly (could have) used it to attack one of the people involved,” Carver said.

Carver said it’s great that people want to help in those situations, but when weapons are present, a risk of serious injury exists.

“It could have just as easily been a very different scenario that I was reporting on, and I don’t ever want to be doing that,” he added.

While he didn’t want to put a negative spin on bystanders getting involved, Carver said officers have tactics, weapons, body armour and training that helps minimize the outcome of situations like the robbery.

“We caution people about getting involved,” he said.

Steven Sealy, 22, faces charges including robbery and possession of a weapon.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca