Two men are behind bars following three robberies near the Burnaby and Coquitlam border earlier this month.
In what Mounties are calling “violent robberies,” the two men held up three convenience stores on Austin Avenue and Cameron Street in the early morning hours of Nov. 3.
In the first two incidents, the men entered two stores along Austin Avenue and allegedly threatened the employee with a knife, according to a media release from Coquitlam RCMP.
Allegedly stealing an undisclosed amount of cash, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, lighters and bottled drinks, the pair fled across the border into Burnaby where they held up a third convenience store, according to the release.
During the third incident at a store in the 9600 block of Cameron Street, the two men again pulled out a knife, this time allegedly assaulting an employee before fleeing with “several packages of cigarettes,” the release stated.
“These robberies quickly got our attention as the level of violence was escalating. Seasoned investigators from both Burnaby RCMP Strike Force and Coquitlam RCMP robbery section got together to develop, implement and execute an operational plan. In about two-and-a-half days, the suspects were identified and arrested without incident,” Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said in the release.
The two suspects, an 18-year-old and 25-year-old man, both from Surrey, are now facing several charges, including three counts of robbery, two counts of unlawful confinement, assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.
The men will remain in custody until a court appearance on Dec. 11 in Port Coquitlam.
