Airdrie RCMP has arrested Matthew Christopher Bleile, 22, of Airdrie and charged him with Robbery Using a Firearm after an armed robbery at the S& S Liquor Store on Stonegate Drive in Airdrie’s northwest at 1 a.m. on Oct. 1.
According to RCMP, Bleile entered the store, pointed what looked to be a BB gun at the lone male clerk and demanded money. Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis said the clerk engaged in a struggle with Bleile, who then fled the scene in his vehicle.
Sarb Gill, owner of S& S Liquor was the clerk on duty at the time of the robbery. He said he was compelled to fight back because he’d been robbed before.
“This is the first time this store has been robbed, but I worked at the Panorama Liquor Store (in Calgary) and in 2008 or 2009, I was robbed,” Gill said. “I’m not sure why I went after this guy. It wasn’t planned.”
Gill, a resident of Airdrie, received only minor injuries and did not require treatment from EMS.
RCMP from Airdrie along with members from the Airdrie General Investigative Section and Airdrie Crime Reduction Unit, as well as a Forensic Identification Section member from Lethbridge were called to the scene. Their investigation, which included analyzing blood at the scene, led them to a Calgary hospital where Bleile had gone to receive treatment for his injuries, according to Curtis.
“He received two head (injuries) and an arm injury,” Curtis said. “It’s a working relationship (we have with the hospitals) where we call around (to the hospitals) and it didn’t take long to find where he’d gone for treatment.”
Bleile was arrested at 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 at the hospital and transported to the Airdrie RCMP Detachment. He had a bail hearing on Oct. 1, however, he was unable to make bail and awaits trial at the Calgary Remand Centre. The date he will appear in Airdrie Provincial Court to answer to the charge has not yet been set, according to Curtis.
Curtis said Bleile’s truck was seized and is being examined by the Forensic Investigation Section. Bleile is known to police, according to Curtis.
The fact Bleile only had a BB gun in his possession doesn’t make a difference to the charge he faces under the Canadian Criminal Code, according to Curtis.
“If you point something at someone and threaten them and that person can reasonably believe it’s a firearm, whether or not you have a firearm, or it’s real or loaded or functional, none of that matters, you will be charged with Robbery Using a Firearm,” he explained.
“We want to remind the public not to engage aggressive persons,” Curtis said. “Comply with demands and call the police. We have guys who are trained for (this kind of situation). We have negotiators, we have tactical entry teams, we have dogs; we have a dozen and one ways to try to safely deal with a situation.”
Gill said he wouldn’t recommend doing what he did to anyone else.
“I don’t like violence,” he said. “It just happened. I want to thank everyone who supported me.”
If you have any information on any crime, call the Airdrie RCMP detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
