Police have charged a man after a store was robbed and a vehicle with the occupants inside was stolen this week in Halifax.

On January 31 at approximately 7 p.m. police responded to a report of a robbery in-progress at the Dollarama located at 16 Dentith Road. It was reported that two men entered the store, threatened the employees and then stole two cash drawers. The suspects fled the store on foot, headed in the direction of the No Frills store.

The two suspects, along with another man, entered a vehicle parked near the No Frills store. One of the men got in the driver’s seat and the other two got in the back of the vehicle. A woman and child were in the vehicle at the time. Bystanders attempted to intervene and the two men in the back of the vehicle exited and fled on foot. The suspect then drove away with the woman and child still inside the vehicle. The suspect stopped a short time later and allowed them to leave the vehicle. The woman and child were not physically injured.

Officers located the vehicle in the area and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused to stop. Officers briefly pursued the vehicle but stopped due to safety concerns. At approximately 8:20 p.m. officers located the vehicle abandoned in the area and a K9 team tracked the suspect to a residence where he was arrested a short time later without incident.

A 37-year-old man is scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court at a later date to face charges of:

• Robbery
• Dangerous operation of a conveyance
• Flight from a peace officer
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000

At this time, additional charges are anticipated.

The investigation is ongoing by members of the General Investigation Section of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division. Police are continuing to seek the two suspects who fled the vehicle in the parking lot.

The first suspect is described as a white man, 30 to 40 years old, thin build and wearing a grey jacket with a hood and a green Dollarama reusable bag on one of his feet. The second suspect is described as a white man, thin build, shorter than the first suspect, wearing a black jacket with the hood up, something red, possibly a t-shirt, underneath the jacket and his face was covered.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident or video from the area to call police at 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or using the P3 Tips App.

Source: Release