Some old-fashioned police work was put to good use to help track down and apprehend a pair of men suspected of carrying out three daylight robberies on the same day.
The first incident happened around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27 near No. 4 and Cambie roads, when a lone woman was awaiting a bus and a young, Caucasian male allegedly approached her and demanded her purse.
The woman refused and the suspect, perhaps spooked by a transit bus, fled in a white SUV.
Fifteen minutes later, near Railway Avenue and Blundell Road, another lone woman had her purse grabbed from behind.
She sustained injuries after allegedly being dragged by the suspect while clutching her purse. The suspects stole her purse and cell phone and fled in a white SUV.
The woman was taken to hospital and was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
At around 2:30 p.m., near Blundell and No. 2 roads, a Caucasian male suspect allegedly pulled up in a white SUV, exited alongside a lone female and stole her purse. Two suspects fled the scene in the vehicle.
Noting the similar descriptions of the suspects and their vehicle, one of Richmond’s newest patrol officers, Const. Max Levshuk, spotted the suspect vehicle near Trites and No. 2 roads.
“It was his first shift and he relied on some unconventional technology — an ordinary pen and the back of his hand as the paper,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“Const. Levshuk had written the description of the vehicle and licence plate on the back of his hand to help him identify (it) in the event that it was discovered during his shift.
“He was teamed with veteran officer Const. Calvin Leung, who is playing a big role in mentoring pro-active policing habits. The pairing was pretty successful.”
Shortly before 5:30 pm, the white SUV was spotted near Trites and No. 2 roads.
The vehicle was surrounded and officers tactically approached the vehicle.
One of the suspects fully complied with officers and was arrested without incident. The second fled and, after a short foot chase, he was arrested in the 12000 block of Trites Road. Const. Leung fractured a finger as a result of apprehending the suspect.
“We are still investigating these cases, but this is a good example of knowing the area, knowing where to look, and mentoring the next generation of Richmond RCMP officers,” added Hwang.
Colton Buschau-Williams, 19, of Nanaimo, has been charged with three counts of robbery and two counts of possessing stolen property. Kyle Stalker, 26, of Richmond, has been charged with one count of possession of property obtained by crime and one count of wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
