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Saanich Bank Robbery/Aftermath (sep fm Victoria is facing a public-safety crisis)

Blackadder1916

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Turning into the wild west

Two suspects dead, six officers injured after shootout at bank on Shelbourne Street​

People in area told to stay indoors as police look for possible third suspect. Homes and businesses near bank evacuated because of suspected explosive device.

Two suspects are dead and six police officers suffered gunshot wounds in a shootout at the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street Tuesday morning.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police continued to advise anyone in the area of North Dairy Road to Cedar Hill Cross Road and Richmond Road to Cedar Hill Road to stay indoors as officers looked for a potential third suspect.

Homes and businesses near the bank were evacuated due to the presence of a potential explosive device in a vehicle associated with the suspects, police said.

It began at 11 a.m. Tuesday when officers with Saanich police, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and VicPD responded to a report that two armed men had entered the bank in the 3600-block of Shelbourne Street in Saanich.

Multiple officers responded to the scene and encountered the armed suspects, who fired at police. Two suspects were shot by police and died at the scene.

Six emergency response team officers suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to hospital, some with serious injuries requiring surgery, a Victoria Police Department statement said. It said updates will be provided when available.

Three of the officers are members of Saanich police, while the other three are VicPD members.

Police said they don’t believe any bank employees, customers or members of the public were injured in the exchange of gunfire.

A man with dark hair in a camouflage jacket and black boots was seen lying motionless in the parking lot outside the bank Tuesday afternoon.

Residents and workers in the area were hunkered down in their homes and offices with blinds down and doors locked while the hunt for a potential third suspect continued.

Just after 12:30 p.m., about 25 people who had been in the bank during the robbery were escorted by armed Saanich officers to a waiting bus. Some were crying.

Dozens of officers from the Saanich and Victoria police departments and the RCMP remained outside the bank early Tuesday afternoon, along with at least four ambulances.

Shelbourne Street was blocked from Cedar Hill Road past Pear Street, with several marked and unmarked police vehicles filling the street.

Officers with weapons and dog teams were outside the bank.

The public was asked to avoid the area.

A helicopter was flying over the area about 1:40 p.m.

Charlotte Priest, an assistant at Lifeline Animal Clinic across Shelbourne Street from the bank, said a few of the clinic’s clients heard the shooting and took shelter in the building. “That’s when we realized there’s something going on. So we just closed our blinds and just took cover and are staying away from the windows.”

A passerby also took shelter in the waiting area, said Priest, noting a police van was parked at the clinic’s driveway.

“There’s a lot of businesses in the area. It is kind of shocking for it to happen here.

“Everybody is a little bit shaken up.”

Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes posted on Twitter: “Our hearts go out to our officers, bank staff and residents … No words can describe how horrendous this is.”

At nearby St. Michael’s University School, a woman said the school was in “hold and secure” mode, with all external doors locked and everyone inside.

The Megson FitzPatrick Insurance Services office on Shelbourne Street had about 20 staff indoors behind locked exterior doors.

Jacqueline Niemann, who was managing the office on Tuesday, said she heard noises but did not immediately recognize the sound as gunfire. Police cars arriving at the scene alerted their office to the situation.

Everyone is safe, she said. “It is pretty scary.”

Hannah Young, a pharmacy assistant at Heart Pharmacy in Shelbourne Plaza, across the street from the bank, said she heard “what was definitely gunfire.” “And it kept going. I looked out and I could see people ducking by their cars in the parking lot.”

Young said she wasn’t afraid but was concerned for the safety of people in the area.

“Do we need to close the door? Pull the customers inside? Shut down? It was more of a fight or flight response,” said Young.

“We saw they were elderly people sitting outside and we told them they needed to come inside.” They brought everyone inside away from the windows into the back half of the pharmacy.

Saanich police are asking people who took photos and shot video to submit them as evidence through their online evidence submission portal.

Jeff Roman, BMO spokesman in Canada, said in a statement that the company was “deeply saddened” by the incident. “The safety and security of our customers and employees is our priority and our thoughts are with every person impacted by today’s events.”

Roman thanked emergency responders for their fast assistance and for helping to keep the public safe.

Saanich police are leading the investigation, with assistance from the RCMP and an emergency response team from the Lower Mainland, among others. Sgt. Chris Garneau did not immediately have numbers of RMCP officers from the capital region who were called in.

A police helicopter was also sent to help.

An Island Health official said health-care teams at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals stepped up to respond to the incident. No details were released about specific patients.

The Jubilee’s emergency department was briefly under restricted access to ensure safety, but neither hospital was under a code orange, which refers to mass casualties, the official said.

“In situations like this, we quickly redeploy staff as necessary and implement contingency plans to ensure our hospitals and staff are best positioned to respond,” Island Health said.

As with all officer-involved shootings in British Columbia, the Independent Investigations Office is investigating the incident.
 
Another flap... allegeldy someone with a long gun was seen in the area of the cordon around the bank robbery from yesterday:

1656638072067.png
 
That's got "shoot me because I'm stupid" written all over it.
 
That's got "shoot me because I'm stupid" written all over it.

Recent info on these idiots...


Saanich police and the RCMP emergency response team are searching by ground and air in the area of Mt. Tolmie to McKenzie Avenue in Saanich for two men described by witnesses as wearing army-type outfits and possibly carrying a long gun.

The first man is described as in his 30s with a white beard in full camouflage and carrying a dark backpack and beige case slung over his shoulder.

The second man is described as being in his 20s with a navy black camouflage top, dark hair and dark skin.

Police ask anyone who sees the men to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321.


 
Turning into the wild west

Literally!

I don’t know my westerns, but maybe it’s time to low key allow for some modern day John Wayne’s or <insert bad-ass western character here> to discreetly ‘do their thang’…

Officially kidding, ofcourse
 
Recent info on these idiots...


Saanich police and the RCMP emergency response team are searching by ground and air in the area of Mt. Tolmie to McKenzie Avenue in Saanich for two men described by witnesses as wearing army-type outfits and possibly carrying a long gun.

The first man is described as in his 30s with a white beard in full camouflage and carrying a dark backpack and beige case slung over his shoulder.

The second man is described as being in his 20s with a navy black camouflage top, dark hair and dark skin.

Police ask anyone who sees the men to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321.


Have they started their drug experiment out there yet? The one where personal use drug possession, of any drug, is ok?
 
Recent info on these idiots...


Saanich police and the RCMP emergency response team are searching by ground and air in the area of Mt. Tolmie to McKenzie Avenue in Saanich for two men described by witnesses as wearing army-type outfits and possibly carrying a long gun.

The first man is described as in his 30s with a white beard in full camouflage and carrying a dark backpack and beige case slung over his shoulder.

The second man is described as being in his 20s with a navy black camouflage top, dark hair and dark skin.

Police ask anyone who sees the men to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321.


Total false alarm. The "camo guy carrying the case" is a well known homeless guy who carried a fishing rod in a case around with him. Looks nothing like a firearm case 😉
 
Total false alarm. The "camo guy carrying the case" is a well known homeless guy who carried a fishing rod in a case around with him. Looks nothing like a firearm case 😉
People are spring loaded to “see” guns everywhere, after an incident like this.
 
Meanwhile, although still not 100% clear, it looks like some of the ERT drove into the line of fire in a panel van, which was quickly Swiss cheesed:


GVERT officers arrived to armed robbery in white van now riddled with bullets, police confirm​


A white van with bullet holes dotting the windshield was carrying members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team during a deadly armed robbery and shootout in Saanich, police confirmed during a news conference Thursday.

The van was seen outside the Bank of Montreal branch where an exchange of gunfire took place Tuesday morning, killing two heavily armed suspects and injuring six GVERT officers. Three officers remain in hospital.

In video footage taken by a witness, the white van can be seen driving past a cluster of police officers already outside Fujiya Foods, a restaurant adjacent to the bank. Gunshots can be heard shortly after.

Saanich police Chief Dean Duthie told reporters Thursday that GVERT officers were already in the area Tuesday morning on an “entirely separate and unrelated investigation.”

“Given the high-risk, critical and high-priority nature of this report, GVERT immediately redeployed to the bank,” he said.

“Some GVERT officers arrived on the scene in a white panel van that remains located in the crime scene at the main entrance to the Bank of Montreal.

 
Have they started their drug experiment out there yet? The one where personal use drug possession, of any drug, is ok?
1st of Jan 2023. It's going to be great, just watch as we allow more people drug users and there shall be no actual reduction in usage. We don't seem to understand Portugal's decriminalization wasn't just decriminalization, there was a ton of programs and effort put in to deal with drug users when found. Sent to rehab, put on methadone, etc. Canada hasn't done the other steps required for a positive result. I would argue our medical system (especially BCs) doesn't have the capability to run the amount of programs that would be required at the moment without effecting the service towards the rest of the population.

It is also going to be interesting for those charged with criminal possession outside BC, I imagine there could easily be a charter challenge on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment to have criminal law applied everywhere but BC.
 
Well we now know the identity of the two Saanich bank robbers:

Twin brothers from Duncan revealed as suspects in Saanich bank robbery

Posted: Jul. 2, 2022 9:14AM | Last Updated: Jul. 2, 2022 1:55PM

The RCMP released the identities of the two suspects in the Saanich RCMP BMO robbery.

Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP say the suspects are 22-year old twins from Duncan, Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie. RCMP say the two suspects were not known to police before the incident.

“I’ve spoken with their family and they are cooperating with our investigation. They have asked for privacy at this time,” Bérubé said. “We’re looking into the suspects backgrounds and can confirm that neither had criminal records or were known to police.”

The motive is not yet determined. RCMP believe there may be others with more information about the brothers, and ask anyone with information to speak with police.

“We believe there could be people that may have more information about the brothers, their recent activities and travels and we need those people to come forward and speak to police,” Bérubé said.

Investigators are confirming the two suspects are connected to the suspect vehicle, the white 1992 Toyota Camry, four-door with two black racing stripes over the hood and roof.

The possibility of additional suspects is being considered, but investigators have determined only the two suspects were in the bank.

“Investigation to date has determined that only two suspects were in the bank, however, we’re continuing to look into whether anyone else was involved or associated to the events on Tuesday,” Bérubé said. “Dozens of interviews have been conducted and hundreds of hours of surveillance video footage have been gathered all of which is being reviewed.”

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is continuing to investigate the actions of the officers.

In emails to CHEK News, Victoria Police and Saanich Police say three officers remain in hospital.

VicPD spokesperson Bowen Osoko says three Victoria Police officers were shot, and one remains in hospital. Const. Markus Anastasiades, Saanich Police spokesperson says two of their officers remain in hospital.

“No change from a couple of days ago as far as information we can share with the public at this time,” the email said.

Anyone with recent information or interactions with the two male suspects, who saw the Toyota Camry in the week prior to the incident or anything else that could be related are asked to contact VIIMCU at 250-380-6211.


More info/photos here.

 
Protection against less lethal impact launchers is my guess. The thing makes for a nice juicy target and a hit there can be debilitating.
That makes perfect sense. IF in fact they had thigh/groin armour in anticipation of less lethal, it also speaks to some really impressive info gathering and preparation by the bad guys.
 
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