A still from surveillance footage of a robbery at the Harewood Liquor Store on Feb. 13, 2018. Credit: Nanaimo RCMP
A man disguised in a Halloween mask robbed a liquor store in Nanaimo on Tuesday evening, according to police.
Police said the man, who was wearing a mask like the ghost character in the “Scream” series of horror films, robbed the Harewood Liquor Store at 508 Eighth Street just before 11 p.m.
RCMP said the man was brandishing a machete when he entered the business just before closing and demanded the clerk give him cash from the till. Once the suspect got the money, he took off on foot. He was last seen running northbound through the parking lot toward Howard Avenue. Officers, along with a police dog, searched for the suspect but were unable to find him.
No one was injured during the robbery.
According to police, the mask the man was wearing was similar to the one that was worn during an armed robbery at the same business on Oct. 1, 2017. That suspect has not been identified.
“Officers are certainly looking at the possibility the same person may be responsible for both occurences given the mask worn and other physical features of the suspect,” Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said in a release.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Alexa Huffman
