THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Police have made an arrest in what the service says are three connected robberies on the morning of Tuesday, December 10, 2019.
Police say that uniformed officers were originally dispatched to the Circle K convenience store located at 708 May Street at about 9:45 am EST following reports of a robbery that just occurred.
While en route to the scene, those officers spotted a vehicle driving away from the convenience store. That vehicle and the suspect driving it matched the initial description of the suspect the officers received from dispatch.
Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled. Due to public safety concerns, the officers discontinued that pursuit. A short time later, officers again spotted a vehicle and suspect matching the descriptions from the robbery in the Oliver Paipoonge area.
Officers again attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect again ignored the police and fled.
In an effort to stop the suspect from fleeing, officers used a spike strip. The spike strip was successful, but the driver continued his attempts to flee from police. Due to the damaged tires, the vehicle came to a stop in the area of Taylor Drive and Rosslyn Road.
Police arrested the suspect without further incident.
The male suspect was transported to the Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters, where a trained Drug Recognition Expert evaluated the accused and determined he was impaired by drug.
A 39-year-old Thunder Bay man is now being charged with Robbery, Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle x 2, Fail to Stop for Police x 2, and Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle.
He remains in custody and is expected to appear in bail court on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.
The Thunder Bay Police Service continues to investigate the robbery of the May Street Circle K, along with two other reported robberies this suspect is connected to.
The Esso Tiger Express and Car Wash was the scene of a robbery just after 4 am, and Santorelli’s Truck Stop at 3133 Arthur Street was the scene of a robbery just before 5 am, on Tuesday, December 10, 2019.
The accused is expected to be charged in connection with those incidents today pending further investigation.
