Images release by the RCMP after the June 27 early morning robbery at Meechewin Place.
Security footage from a gunpoint robbery at a gas and convenience store on Lac La Ronge has the community looking for suspects.
The RCMP say there were five males involved in the 3:30 a.m. robbery on Wednesday at Meechewin Place, with one of them toting what appeared to be a long-barrelled firearm. Security footage of the suspects is now being circulated on social media and by the Mounties.
Owner Henry McKenzie said he awoke to a phone call at 4 a.m. from the manager on duty, telling him what had transpired at the 24-hour store. Fireworks, cash, and “a lot of tobacco” were stolen in the six-minute robbery, McKenzie said but “the good thing about the whole thing is that nobody got hurt so I’m glad my employees are safe.”
While the suspects had covered their faces with were wearing hoodies and masks or bandanas, McKenzie said one person’s cover slipped of his face and that has presented a chance for identification.
He is confident the RCMP will do its best to investigate because “it’s quite a serious thing. They’re very concerned, especially the community at large,” he said.
“Basically when there’s an armed robbery, you know that anything could happen. There’s a lot of young gangs up north and there’s such a big use of drugs, you know these gangs they probably just looking for something they can use for cash. And they know kind of where to get it. This is nothing unusual, we’ve had other armed robberies” since going to 24 hour service three years ago.
McKenzie said it’s difficult to deal with the costs of incidents like these when he’s trying to employ local people and provide a service to the community. He estimates there have been 68 break-ins and robberies at Meechewin Place in his 18 years as owner.
He said if people hear anything, they can pass information on to the police or to management.
La Ronge RCMP can be reached at 306-425-6730 or 310-RCMP, while call Crime Stoppers can be reached anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
RCMP suspect descriptions:
Suspect 1 – male, wearing a dark blue hoody, blue jeans, sunglasses
Suspect 2 – male, wearing a dark blue hoody with lettering, balaclava, blue jeans
Suspect 3 – male, wearing a red hoody with a black stripe across the hood, blue jeans, glasses, bandana
Suspect 4 – male, wearing a grey sweatshirt with a black hood, blue jeans
Suspect 5 – male, wearing a red hoody with grey patches, balaclava, grey leggings