On Monday, January 20th, at approximately 7:05 p.m., a suspect male entered a business strore front in the 3500 block of Quadra Street. The male waited for the employee to attend to the back of the store before accessing the area behind the front counter, taking several items. The incident was observed by another patron who advised staff of the apparent theft, as well as providing a detailed description of the suspect.
Approximately 25 minutes later, police responded to a report of a theft of four cellular phones from a fast food restaurant in the 3900 block of Quadra Street. Witnesses reported observing a male acting suspiciously inside the store prior to the theft. The description of the suspect male was very similar to the suspect believed responsible for the previous theft.
Another employee of the restaurant confirmed that at least one of the stolen cell phones had been equipped with the “Find My iPhone” application. The employee and the owner of the phone used the app and provide information to police who had flooded the area.
A suspect matching the description from both of the thefts was located in the parking lot of an apartment building in the 900 block of Mckenzie Avenue. The 40 year old Saanich resident was found to be in possession of the four stolen cellular phones, but was not found in possession of the items taken from the first theft.
Believing that the male may have stashed the items that had been taken during the first incident, police remained in the area looking for any clues. After several hours, an officer located several items that had been stolen from the first business, including over $1000 cash, at a nearby bus stop.
The 40 year old male was held in custody to appear in court. The suspect was known to police for previous property related offences.
File 2014-1309 / 2014-1313
Sgt. Steve Eassie #158