Prince George Canadian Tire owner Selen Alpay has accolades for all involved in apprehending a man who allegedly stole a television from the store on Monday - from store staff to the security agency to the RCMP to the person who found the item and returned it to police.
"I have a brilliant team who just says no to theft and we have a ton of community support that says the same thing," Alpay said Tuesday.
Crown counsel has approved 10 charges against Devin Albert Olson, 27, in relation to the incident, including robbery, possessing weapon for dangerous purpose and two counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000.
Described by RCMP as "well known to police," Olson remained in custody as of Tuesday.
It's alleged Olson tried to make his way out of the store with a 40-inch television, worth about $500, through an emergency exit.
"As soon as that door opens, an alarm goes off internally as well as at Curtis Elite and Curtis Elite called us within 30 seconds of that door opening," Alpay said.
"That alerted my staff obviously, and two of my guys went running after this guy."
Staff are told to not go running after thieves but their adrenaline got the best of them, Alpay said.
They backed off when the man pulled out a knife, but by then two other staff had called 911.
RCMP responded in numbers, including a dog and handler and a helicopter and within 40 minutes Olson was apprehended in the parking lot of a nearby school.
One loose end remained untied until Tuesday morning when RCMP returned the television to the store. Alpay said a College Heights resident found it underneath his pickup truck where the culprit had tried to hide the item.
"He'd heard the news and thought 'oh my God, this must be the TV,'" Alpay said. "He turns it back into the police and the police just brought it into me. What a story. It's brilliant. I couldn't be happier."
Alpay said there are more than 60 surveillance cameras in the store and video of the theft has since been handed over to RCMP.
He urged anyone thinking of trying to steal from his store or any other to think again.
"Don't try to do it because you're going to get caught one way or another," Alpay said.
Known for his support of local organizations, Alpay added that there are "so many" services and resources out there for people who find themselves in straits dire enough that they think they have to steal.
"There are different ways to get to where you need to go without having to do that," Alpay said.
