Shoplifter arrested after threatening convenience store worker with knife, Vancouver police say

A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform as she makes a phone call after responding to an unknown incident in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly threatened a convenience store worker with a knife during a shoplifting incident in downtown Vancouver, according to police.

In a news release Tuesday, the Vancouver Police Department said officers were called to the store on Granville and Drake streets shortly after 6 a.m. on Friday.

“The suspect was allegedly confronted outside the store by the worker for allegedly stealing a box of cookies and then threatening to vandalize his car,” police said in the release. “When the worker attempted to intervene, the suspect reportedly brandished a knife.”

Police said they arrested the suspect after tracking him down a block away from the scene.

47-year-old Christopher Chiappe has been charged with assault with a weapon, theft under $5,000 and uttering threats to damage property.

He was taken to jail and has since been released with conditions pending a court hearing on Monday.

Authorities said Chiappe was also arrested on May 25, in connection with an assault at an East Vancouver shelter, where he allegedly kicked a man repeatedly in the head.