Richmond robbery suspect with 'pot belly' also sought in Vancouver incidents, police say

Vancouver police released this surveillance image of the suspect. (VPD)

A serial robbery suspect already sought by Richmond RCMP for a string of five incidents in that city earlier this year has also caught the attention of Vancouver police.

The Vancouver Police Department released an image of the suspect on Wednesday, alleging he committed two robberies in Vancouver on the same day as his alleged Richmond crime spree.

The first Vancouver robbery happened around 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Marine Gateway Liquor Store, near the intersection of Southwest Marine Drive and Cambie Street, according to a news release from the VPD.

Police alleged that the suspect brandished a knife and demanded cash from an employee at the store. The employee called 911 and the suspect fled without getting any money, police said.

About 30 minutes later, according to the VPD, the same man entered the London Drugs at the intersection of Granville and Georgia streets and demanded cash. Police did not say whether he was successful in his second alleged robbery attempt.

Earlier that day, Mounties were called to the Richmond Centre mall for reports that a man was demanding money from businesses in the mall and the surrounding area.

It is unclear how much cash the suspect made off with, but police said he was able to get some money through his robbery attempts.

Richmond RCMP shared details of the incidents the week after they happened, and indicated in a news release at the time that they were investigating whether the same suspect was involved in a pair of incidents in Vancouver.

CTV News reached out to the VPD at the time of the Richmond incidents, but did not receive a response. Wednesday was the first time Vancouver police publicly shared details of the attempted robberies, more than two months after they occurred.

Both Richmond RCMP and the VPD describe the suspect as a white man who was wearing a black puffy jacket, a white T-shirt and dark pants. Vancouver police estimated his age as between 25 and 35 years old, and said he had short hair and "either a moustache or a full beard."

Richmond RCMP said the suspect is between 25 and 30 years old, stands between 5'7" and 5'10" and has "a pot belly and a black beard."

The VPD said Wednesday that it is working with Richmond RCMP and "other police agencies" to locate the suspect. The department asked anyone with information to contact investigators at 604-717-2541.