Kelowna RCMP are investigating after two employees were tied up in the back of an adult sex store during an armed robbery on Monday evening.
Two men, both wearing balaclavas and one brandishing a gun, entered Wild Kingdom on Lawrence Avenue and demanded cash from the two women working at the store.
“The suspects proceeded to retrieve the employees’ cellular phones, physically restrain them and secure them in a back room,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a release.
The suspects made off with the cash and a selection of sex toys.
Kim Williams, the store’s owner, thinks it was a targeted robbery. She said security footage shows a person who came in on Sunday and videotaped the store, asking suspicious questions.
“[The robbers] knew exactly what they were looking for,” she said. “They were metal toys. It’s not your regular everyday vibrator.”
She said she’s experienced shoplifting before, but never anything as violent as this. Years ago, a man wielding a knife came in and demanded cash, Williams said.
“They terrorized my staff last night,” she said, adding the incident will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
“They strapped their hands behind their backs,” she said. “They put them in the bathroom and tied rope around the bathroom door and tied that to the office door so they couldn’t get out.”
Williams describes her store as a classy and tasteful boutique. She’s invested in high-quality security cameras and panic buttons at strategic places in the store.
The entire robbery was captured on camera, but unfortunately neither employee was able to reach those buttons on Monday night. But when one of the employees mentioned “panic button,” Williams said the robbers panicked and fled.
After the suspects left, the women freed themselves and called 911.
Police said the two employees had minor injuries related to being restrained but were otherwise physically unharmed. They’ve been offered victim services through the RCMP. No customers were in the store during the robbery.
“We are a very, very strong group of women here,” said Williams. “We’re not going to let this kind of scum bring us down.”
Both suspects are described as white males in their late 20s or early 30s. Both are approximately 5-10 with slim builds, but were wearing gloves and had their faces covered. One of the men reportedly had green eyes. He wore a grey hoodie and jeans. The other man wore a black hoodie and dark coloured pants.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
