Security guards foiled an attempted bank break-in through the roof of Grandin mall, but RCMP investigators are now asking for the public’s help in finding the culprits.
The break-in happened at about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 23 at the mall on Sir Winston Churchill Avenue and Grandin Road. In a plan cut from a heist movie, an unknown number of suspects pried their way into Grandin Park Plaza through the roof near a TD bank machine. Automated teller security guards nearby heard the noise.
Cpl. Laurel Kading with the St. Albert RCMP said the guards contacted mall security when they heard the noise and called out, receiving no response. The group decided to call police.
“They called police, but the suspects were able to get out — the way they came in, through the roof — before anyone saw them.”
Investigators are now hoping to solve the mystery with a little help from the public and the clues the would-be thieves left behind.
When officers went up onto the roof, they found a collection of power tools and pry bars around the point of entry and a tool belt above the panel ceiling in the mall.
Many of the tools bear the initials VW or MA. Officers believe they may have been stolen from somewhere nearby, but are looking for any information that might assist police.
“Even if they were brought to the scene it is possible that they might have been taken without someone knowing or stolen from someone else,” said Kading.
She said any information on the tools, even if they were stolen, could provide new leads and avenues for investigators.
“We are hoping that someone can help us connect the dots in terms of where these tools came from.
Kading said the crime is certainly not something run of the mill.
“It is certainly not the average thing we see in St. Albert.”
The exact number of people involved is undetermined at this point, but Kading said police believe there were multiple people involved based on the tracks on the roof.
Anyone with any information on the break-in or the tools is asked to call the St. Albert detachment at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
