Halifax Regional Police say a man may have been trying to rob Video Difference for a fourth time in three nights, but never got the chance.
Police say they arrested a man outside the popular video store early Sunday morning, putting an end to a bizarre Quinpool Road-area crime spree.
In total police say there were five robberies and one attempted robbery believed to be committed by the same person. All of them were in the Quinpool Road area and took place over three nights. Police say no weapons were involved in any of the robberies.
On Saturday evening at around 11 p.m. a man allegedly entered Domino’s Pizza on Quinpool and demanded money. Staff were said to have laughed at him, and forced him to leave empty handed.
Minutes later the suspect re-appeared at Video Difference. Police say the rental store had been the most frequent target in the string of robberies, having been hit three times in three consecutive nights. But this latest time there was said to be only about $20 in the till.
Apparently unsatisfied, the man returned a few hours later at about 2 a.m. But police say plain-clothed police officers were on the lookout for the suspect, and a 31-year-old man was taken into custody outside of the store.
Police said by this point, they had a good idea of who they were looking for after having seen security footage from the previous robberies.
Police say the man is now charged with five counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. He remains in police custody and will appear in Halifax provincial court this morning.
“It’s a little unusual. With these types of robberies in a short period of time you have to look a little bit deeper,” said Sgt. Mark Hobeck of HRP. “That’s something they’re looking at as to motive of why he would be that desperate to hit six places in a couple of days.”
