Nanaimo police say the loot from a heist was stolen by someone else.
“We have seen a lot of weird things but we don’t often see the robber end up being robbed,” said Const. Gary O’Brien. “We’re just thankful the situation ended quickly and that the stolen money was recovered and returned.”
Police said a woman wearing a medical mask and armed with a toy gun — a small, snub-nosed pistol — allegedly held up a Co-op gas station on Victoria Crescent on Thursday, Oct. 13. She stuffed an undisclosed amount of money into a backpack and ran into the parking lot, police said.
An officer arrived to find her still in there and ordered her to drop the backpack and the pistol, before realizing it wasn’t a real weapon.
After the woman was arrested and led to the officer’s vehicle, a man approached the scene and took off with the unattended pack.
The officer noticed what was happening and gave chase, catching the man a short distance away.
A 30-year-old man was arrested and the money was returned to the gas station. He has been released and charges are pending.
A 27-year-old woman has been charged in the original incident on counts of robbery with an imitation firearm, robbery and being disguised with intent. She was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
