A man has been charged with robbery after allegedly using a meat cleaver to threaten a grocery store employee in downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver police said in a statement Tuesday that a 23-year-old was at the Robson Street IGA, near Richards Street, on Monday when an employee asked him to put on a face mask. Police said when the worker insisted, the man allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened them.
The man then left the store without paying for his groceries and the victim immediately called police.
"Officers were able to respond quickly and arrest the suspect, who was trying to leave in a taxi," Sgt. Steve Addison said in a news release. "The stolen goods were returned to the store and the suspect was taken to jail. Fortunately, nobody was physically hurt."
In B.C., health orders still require any aged five and older to wear a mask in indoor public settings. That order applies to retail stores and shopping centres.
Exemptions are only in place for people with specific health conditions, though stores are also permitted to offer alternative shopping arrangements for people not wearing masks, like online ordering and curbside pickup.
The Robson store's been targeted in other recent violent crimes too. In November, three adults were arrested after one of them flashed a gun while trying to steal three tubs of ice cream valued at $21.
And, in April, a 35-year-old was arrested for allegedly assaulting and threatening employees at the IGA. At the time, police told CTV News Vancouver that store deals with incidents "on a daily basis."
"It’s a small, family run business that has been hit incredibly hard by these types of violent crimes," Addison told CTV News by email Tuesday.
Following Monday's incident, Vancouver police said Cody Echlin was charged with robbery, adding that he's been released on bail.
