Vikki Hopes
Mission Record
A prolific offender who went on a three-month crime spree in Mission, Abbotsford and Surrey has been sentenced to just over two years in prison.
Tyson Zackary Fust, 22, of Mission was sentenced Monday in Abbotsford provincial court on seven charges – four counts of robbery, two counts of possessing stolen property and one count of using a fake gun.
Fust initially faced almost 30 charges for offences occurring between December 2015 and March 2016. He pleaded guilty to the seven counts, and the other charges were stayed.
The first robbery that Fust committed was on Dec. 21, 2015. On that day, an 81-year-old woman was walking to her car after doing some Christmas shopping at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre in Abbotsford.
The woman, who is under five feet tall and walks with a cane, was approached by Fust, who asked her how she was doing.
As she proceeded to get into her vehicle, Fust grabbed her purse out of her hands and ran to a waiting vehicle, where he jumped into the passenger seat. The vehicle then sped away.
At the time, police said the victim was “severely traumatized” by the incident and was taken to hospital for examination.
Less than three weeks later, on Jan. 8, Fust walked into Mike’s Market – a community grocery store on Manson Street in Mission’s Hatzic Bench – and demanded cash.
He was carrying a fake gun and a large bag and had his face concealed with sunglasses and a breathing mask.
Fust left in a stolen red Mazda pickup truck, which police later recovered not far from the scene.
He was caught on camera during the hold-up, and the clear image was circulated on the Internet and through the media.
Fust also committed a robbery in Surrey on the same day.
He also pleaded guilty to an incident in Abbotsford on Feb. 29, when he robbed a pizza delivery driver of pizza and cash at knifepoint on Madeira Place in the Clearbrook area of Abbotsford.
Fust was also sentenced for possessing stolen property in North Vancouver on Feb. 7 and in Mission on Feb. 9.
His jail term will be followed by one year of probation. Fust is also subject to a lifetime weapons ban.
