THUNDER BAY – CRIME – Thunder Bay Police have been busy. A string of break and enter offences on the south side of the city have police seeking public assistance. Thunder Bay Police have received over 30 reports of Break & Enter to commercial properties on the city’s south side in the early morning hours since the beginning of January 2014.
In the majority of the cases, the glass on the entrance to the building has been smashed and entry gained. The suspect has been using various items such as debris including bricks or poles that are present on the business property to break the glass.
Thunder Bay South Crime Map – Jan 12 to Feb 12 2014
Cash has been the primary target of these break ins however some electronic devices have been reported stolen. It is believed that the individual responsible for these crimes is travelling on foot and will be carrying a back pack, shopping bag or messenger bag of some sort to transport tools and stolen items.
A person of interest has been observed in connection with a number of the incidents. He is described as a Caucasian male with a medium build and wearing a tan work jacket or a light coloured hoodie.
Due to the recent increase in this activity the Thunder Bay Police are encouraging business owners to do an audit of their security practices. Securing doors and windows as well as checking or installing alarm or video systems is recommended. A clean up of possible debris that could be used to gain access on business property is also suggested.
The police are also asking the public to call 911 to report any suspicious people in the various commercial areas of the city outside of traditional business hours. Any activity that is suspected to be out of the ordinary may assist police in identifying who is responsible for these crimes.
Any person who may know who is committing these break ins is asked to call the Thunder Bay Police at 684-1200 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 222-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous web tip at www.tipsubmit.com
Thunder Bay Police were also engaged in a ‘man-hunt’.
At 12:46PM Thunder Bay Police responded to a report of a male being chased on foot by three other males in the vicinity of Ravenwood Avenue. It was believed that one of the males may have been armed with a gun.
Units converged on the area and located one of the suspects at 12:54PM behind a Trillium Way residence. This male was taken into custody for further investigation. He was transported to the Balmoral Police Station. Once at the station, the male was in medical distress and transported by ambulance to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center.
Officers from Uniform Patrol, Community Services and the Emergency Task Unit continued the search of the area with assistance from the O.P.P. K-9 unit. Two other males believed to be involved in this incident were located at 2:36PM and arrested in an Academy Drive apartment. At the time of the arrest, a firearm and ammunition was located in the apartment. This initial investigation continues.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit has invoked their mandate to investigate the circumstances surrounding the male who was in medical distress. The S.I.U. will issue further media releases about this incident as required.
