Police deal with pair of overnight armed robberies

Police say a store clerk with a baseball bat tried to stop the nighttime armed robbery of a south-side corner store Tuesday.

Thunder Bay Police Service officials say a lone knife-wielding man entered the Northwood area store at about 9:35 p.m. and demanded money. The robber attempted to get cash but was then chased out by the store clerk, who grabbed a baseball bat.

The suspect was last spotted jumping into a van to escape from his victim.

Police did not give the name of the clerk or convenience store involved in the robbery attempt, stating the store owner requested anonymity.

Area residents have mixed opinions on how the clerk should have acted.

Denis Travish, 47, moved into the Brodie Street area in 2006. The Thunder Bay woman said she never experienced any problems on her block but was aware that other areas in the city had problems crime.

She said she wouldn’t have acted differently if she was placed in the same situation.

"For myself, it just makes the situation worse," Travish said. "I think it would just escalate the situation."

She added that store clerks should remain calm, listen to the robber, and give them what they want.

Julie Harmer, 33, said if it’s appropriate, anyone should use a reasonable amount of force to protect their property. She said with all the robberies around town, store owners appeared to be getting fed up.

"I think people have a right to protect their stuff within reason," Harmer said.
Another resident, who didn’t feel comfortable giving her name, said people should call police and let the authorities do their jobs.

City police spokesman Chris Adams said the store clerk grabbed the bat just as the robber was leaving the store. Police who arrived at the store told the clerk about the potential consequences of getting involved in a confrontation, he said.

"The risk of being physically injured or killed should always be the first and foremost on someone’s mind when they are considering violence to counter a criminal," Adams said.

"It really depends on what the individual is feeling as far as their risk. It’s not to say that you can’t defend yourself from being harmed but you have to be very cautious about what kind of force and making a decision to enter an altercation that could be avoidable."

He added that most convenience stores train their employees not to resist a robbery because human life is more important than cash.

In a second incident, which occurred an hour later, another lone male entered the Village Market store on Hodder Avenue, also demanding cash.

The clerk complied and the man, described as a Caucasian man in his early 20s standing six-feet tall with a medium build, fled on foot with cash.

Police ask anyone with information on either of the two robberies to contact the criminal investigation branch of the Thunder Bay Police, or Crimestoppers.