Police have charged two Edmonton residents in relation to a string of six violent armed robberies in Edmonton and St. Albert.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) announced May 11 that it had arrested two people in connection with six violent armed robberies in Edmonton and St. Albert.
EPS spokesperson Scott Pattison said five of the robberies happened in Edmonton, specifically at liquor stores near 153 Ave. and 97 St. on April 14 and 18, Ellerslie Road and Rabbit Hill Road (April 23), 69 Ave. and 109 St. (April 26), and Knottwood Road and 66 St. (April 27) . Weapons and violence were used indiscriminately in each of the robberies, with cash and alcohol being targeted. Pattison would not disclose the nature of the weapons and violence, but said some store clerks and customers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries obtained during the robberies.
The last robbery was at the ACE Liquor Discounter outlet on Hebert Road in St. Albert, Cst. MJ Burroughs of the St. Albert RCMP said. A man and a woman, both with their faces covered, entered the store at about 11 p.m. and displayed a firearm. They later left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and alcohol without injuring anyone.
Burroughs said RCMP officers later reached out to EPS to see if this robbery was connected to others in the region.
Security footage and interviews led police to suspect these crimes were connected, as they all involved liquor stores and appeared to involve the same suspects, Pattison said in an email.
Investigators searched an address and a vehicle in northwest Edmonton on May 10 in relation to these robberies. The search uncovered stolen property, robbery-related clothes, and one of the firearms (an air pistol) used in the crimes.
Investigators later charged Robert Cardinal, 28, and Charmaine Bunn, 28, both of Edmonton, with multiple robbery and weapons-related offences.
“Intelligence sharing between police forces is crucial in solving these multi-jurisdictional events,” Sgt. Rob Butz of the St. Albert RCMP said in a media release.
“We appreciate the hard work of all officers and criminal intelligence analysts involved to bring this robbery series investigation to a successful conclusion.”
Theft wave?
Meanwhile, Burroughs has also called on St. Albert residents to keep an eye on their mailboxes following an apparent wave of thefts in the community.
The May 10 St. Albert Crime Map showed that some 125 crimes had occurred in town in the previous 14 days — so many that the Gazette’s graphics department struggled to fit all the little crime icons onto the crime map. The crimes consisted of two vehicle thefts, 22 thefts from vehicles, 75 non-vehicle-related thefts, nine break-and-enters, and 17 cases of mischief. Many of the thefts appeared to be clustered in the south part of Kingswood and the north end of Erin Ridge and Oakmont.
Burroughs said police were not sure if these crimes were connected, but noted that the warm spring weather had made it easier for thieves to get outdoors. Many of the crimes involved thefts from mailboxes or of garage door remotes from cars. A few of the thefts were of car catalytic converters, which are often targeted for the precious metals in them.
Burroughs encouraged residents to keep reporting these crimes to police so they could find the people behind them. Residents should check their mailboxes daily and inform police and Canada Post if they find them breached. They should also follow the 9 PM Routine to ensure their doors, cars, gates, and bikes are locked up at night.
The St. Albert Crime Map can be found at stalbert.ca/city/maps/crime.
