Employees of a Nanaimo yarn store are traumatized after a man, armed with a syringe, tried to rob the store on Sunday. The man was later found by Nanaimo RCMP in the throes of a drug overdose.
The 22-year-old man entered the Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns store on Wesley Street in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter around 2 p.m. and demanded money from the cash register while carrying a syringe.
Before receiving any cash, the suspect panicked and fled on foot, said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien.
Police were called and several officers were on scene within minutes. The man was located near Commercial and Bastion streets in medical distress from a possible overdose. He was immediately transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
Later Sunday night, the man was released from hospital and arrested by police for breach of recognizance from a previous robbery file. The man will be making an appearance in Nanaimo Provincial court today.
Nanaimo RCMP victim services is assisting employees of the business who witnessed the attempted robbery, O’Brien said.
