The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have arrested three adults in connection to an attempted armed robbery at a jewellery store in Surrey, B.C. Last month, a woman entered the store in the Guildford area posing as a customer, to pass through the security double doors. Once she left, four men and one woman stormed past the open security doors. The group had at least one firearm in their possession, which they used to threaten the store’s occupants.
According to CTV News, the store owner was shot multiple times after attempting to confront the assailants. The suspects fled the scene soon after. Police report the victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
In conversation with CTV News, store manager Mazhar Qawasmeh said, “He’s lucky to be alive. I mean, to be shot from zero distance four times, that’s a miracle.”
Surrey RCMP has since announced the arrest of three suspects. Both 36-year-old Michael Onischuk and 32-year-old Larrissa Cowan were apprehended in Calgary. They face several charges including robbery using a restricted firearm, aggravated assault, and intent to cause harm with a firearm.
Another individual, a 33-year-old Vancouver man who has yet to be identified, was arrested in Langley, B.C., for robbery with a firearm. However, he has been released without charges, pending further investigation.
The case remains active, with investigators executing search warrants in multiple locations. Insp. Darren Schneider of the Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit says, “As criminals continue to work across seemingly imaginary borders, the Surrey RCMP will continue to use all investigative tools and policing partnerships to seek them out.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Surrey RCMP.
