Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a Surrey pharmacy Tuesday night, just one week after officials voiced concern over a number of drugstore thefts in the city.
Vancouver police officers arrested the young men, all between 15 and 17 years old, in Burnaby after the robbery, which took place in the 12800-block of 96 Avenue at around 8 p.m.
The VPD isn’t providing many details, including what was stolen from the drugstore.
Const. Brian Montague said the four teens ditched the car they used to get away from the pharmacy and tried to escape on foot in Burnaby.
Officers arrested three of the suspects quickly, and the fourth was found and arrested about an hour later. Montague said charges are expected but have not been laid yet.
Burnaby resident Shawn Tilton said he witnessed the dramatic chase firsthand.
“I initially saw cops running through my yard, and then they ran off into the ravine there,” he said. “Then the guy lost his shoe and what I did was grabbed the shoe, then ran out and gave it to the cops so the dogs could pick up the scent.”
Montague said he couldn’t clarify why Vancouver officers were involved in the case because of the nature of the investigation.
Officials aren’t saying whether the incident is connected to other recent pharmacy robberies in Surrey.
On Thursday, RCMP publicly appealed for help in identifying suspects involved in a number of armed thefts.
An investigation into the most recent robbery is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey RCMP’s robbery unit at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy was set to present a strategy for dealing with the city’s crime wave to the Surrey Board of Trade Wednesday afternoon.
