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Police looking for suspect in Agassiz armed robbery

Agassiz store targeted on New Year's Day by male suspect

No arrests have been made yet in connection to an armed robbery that took place in Agassiz on New Year's Day.

The Agassiz Liquor Store opened for business as usual at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1. At approximately 10 a.m., a man entered the store and came up to the till where the lone employee was standing.

"A male indicated to staff he was armed with a weapon," explains Cst. Mike Rail, media relations officer with the RCMP.

The manager was not in the store at the time but says the employee who was on by himself handled the situation well. The liquor store has surveillance cameras so she was able to watch the whole incident afterwards. She says it appears the suspect actually waited outside the store until there were no customers inside.

When the suspect came inside, he had the employee lock the doors and brought him behind the counter where the cash register is located. The employee was instructed to open the till. According to the manager, the suspect took the money in the till plus a couple bottles of liquor displayed on the counter. He also took  the handheld phones and told the employee not to phone the police before leaving.

"He was very polite apparently," said the manager, who asked her name not be used.

The employee texted the manager that there had been a robbery and she then called the RCMP.

"He did the right thing," she says of the employee, who has only worked the liquor store for the past few months.

She describes the suspect as a male, under six feet tall with short hair. No one at the Agassiz Liquor Store recognized the suspect.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident, RCMP ask you to please contact Crime Stoppers or the Agassiz detachment of the RCMP at 604-796-2211.