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| RBC Re-opens After Robbery Attempt |
| By Sheena Brooks |
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| Employees of Royal Bank of Canada outside of the Wellington Road branch after the July 1 robbery attempt. |
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The Wellington Road branch of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) opened for business on Thursday (July 8) for the first time since gunmen attempted to rob the establishment last week.
The RBC branch, located in the Horsford’s Shopping Complex next to the Valumart supermarket, was the target of a band of robbers on July 1 and had remained closed to the public ever since.
Shortly after the bank had opened to the public last Thursday morning, masked gunmen entered the building and held staff at gunpoint demanding money. No employees or customers were injured during the holdup, however some persons present were reportedly traumatized by the incident.
Reports were that the robbers were not able to get any money from the bank and fled on foot through a pathway connecting the Complex to a neighboring residential area. Law enforcement personnel combed the area for the suspects, which witness reports put at five. One individual was taken into custody on suspicion of robbery but was subsequently released without charge.
Police continue to investigate the daring daylight stick-up. The incident left management and staff of neighbouring businesses shaken, and one source indicated to The Observer that a request had been made for owners to provide full-time security for the Complex.
Masked gunmen bent on robbery struck again on Monday, July 5, at about 12:30 p.m., when three assailants robbed an OD Brisbane delivery van of more than $2000. The incident occurred in the rural area of Halfway Tree. The driver and truck attendant were not injured.
A similar incident also took place on June 26 when masked gunmen robbed a Carib Brewery truck that was delivering drinks in the Ottleys area. The robbers escaped with an undisclosed sum of money and a cell phone. No one was injured during the attack and no suspects have been apprehended.
These robberies have stirred up memories of a 2005 incident that left Army Corporal Joseph Bergan paralyzed from the neck down. On December 2, 2005, following a rash of armed robberies of delivery vehicles, Bergan was providing security for a CEMACO delivery truck when he was shot in the neck by robbers. |
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