SURREY — Surrey resident Mitchell Guiel, 21, is accused of committing two armed robberies in Langley.
Both robberies happened on April 7, roughly 45 minutes apart. The first was at Walnut Grove Market, where a man armed with a handgun demanded cash. "He wasn't successful in getting any monies and was seen fleeing in a white pickup truck," said Cpl. Holly Largy, of the Langley RCMP.
The second robbery happened at the Husky gas station in Fort Langley. "Once again, a handgun was produced, no money was obtained and the suspect was seen fleeing in a white pickup truck."
Largy said a Mountie spotted the pickup truck a short while later. "It is alleged the vehicle reached speeds in excess of 120 km/h and veered into oncoming traffic," she said.
It was abandoned near 80th Avenue and 200th Street band and witnesses told police a man ran from the truck to hide in some bushes.
Guiel was arrested and police seized a black replica handgun from the truck. Guiel is charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of using an imitation firearm while committing an offence, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Supt. Murray Power, Langley RCMP's top cop, called it a "significant" arrest "made possible due to a number of fortunate breaks, none of which would have happened without the initial observations of attentive witnesses.
"This was a win for everyone," he said.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com