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Afternoon gunpoint mugging
10/19/2008 at 8:06 AM
From Winnipeg Sun this morning:
A video arcade at a suburban shopping mall movie theatre is hardly the kind of place in Winnipeg where one would expect an afternoon gunpoint mugging, but there's a first for everything.
City police are trying to track down two men suspected of sticking the butt of a handgun into the back of an 18-year-old man at Silver City St. Vital and robbing him of a handheld video game and cellphone before walking out.
The incident happened at 5 p.m. on Oct. 7 adjacent to St. Vital Centre's busy food court. Const. Jacqueline Chaput, a spokeswoman for Winnipeg police, said it's disturbing.
"We don't know what kind of handgun it was, but we do know it was a handgun," she said. "The gun was held close to him. It doesn't look like anyone else saw that weapon."
The victim was not injured.
SECURITY CAMERAS
Police hope images of the suspects - believed to have been recorded by mall security cameras - will spur the public to help officers find them.
"Inside the mall, this is very, very rare," Chaput said. "There are a lot of people there, in general. They may have seen something suspicious and just didn't know what was going on at the time."
One suspect - believed to have wielded the gun - is described as a black male in his 20s, 6-feet-tall with a thin build, about 140 pounds. He was wearing black-rimmed glasses, a black zip-up hoodie, a blue shirt and dark jeans.
The second suspect is described as a white man in his 20s with light brown hair, 6-feet-tall, 250 to 300 pounds.
Some Winnipeggers around St. Vital Centre yesterday said they were concerned but not surprised to hear of such a crime in a busy suburban mall.
"It doesn't make me too worried - it could happen anywhere," said Ross Melbourne. "You wouldn't think it would happen in this area but it happens all over," he said.
"It's sad now you can't go anywhere without being concerned," said Michelle, who gave only her first name.
Holly Plato, marketing director at St. Vital Centre, said she was unaware of the incident.
Pat Marshall, a spokeswoman for Cineplex Entertainment, which operates the theatre, also didn't know about the holdup until police released details yesterday.
"It's obviously disconcerting to us. The security and safety of our guests and our staff is our No. 1 concern," she said from Toronto. "It's just really sad to hear this."
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call them at 986-2859 or Crime Stoppers at 786-8477 (TIPS).