VANCOUVER -- Vancouver police are sharing the story of a 22-year-old convenience store clerk who faced two attempted robberies in less than three hours earlier this week.
The young woman was working by herself at the store in the 900 block of Granville Street early Wednesday morning when the first robbery attempt occurred, according to a post on the Vancouver Police Department's Vancouver Crime Stories website.
Police said it was the woman's first day on the job.
Around 4:40 a.m., a man walked in, pulled out a hammer, and threatened the worker with it, before running away.
Police said they were able to locate the suspect, who they said was breaching a probation order and had two outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Less than three hours later, police were called to the store again, this time because a different man had walked in and threatened the same employee.
"The man told her he had a gun and demanded money," police said in their post. "When the clerk could not open the register, the suspect ripped off the plexiglass divider, in place due to the pandemic, and jumped over the counter."
The worker ran to the bathroom and called police, who were able to arrest the man. Officers did not find a firearm on his person, police said.
Both suspects are facing recommended charges of robbery, VPD told CTV News Vancouver via email.
