A man who tried to rob Southpoint Station Pub at gunpoint early Sunday quickly learned he’d picked the wrong place, when patrons took it upon themselves to put an end to his efforts.
Police say people who were in the 3020 152 St. pub when the man entered around 4:30 a.m. Jan. 1 actually got into a skirmish with the robber, causing him to drop his gun and flee.
“It sounds like some of the patrons in the establishment at the time wrestled with this guy for a brief time,” Cpl. Drew Grainger said.
Grainger said the gun was recovered from the scene, however, a dog team was unable to locate the suspect, who fled over a nearby fence.
While the robber fired at least one shot – reportedly towards the floor – no one was injured.
“Unfortunately, the bad guy got away.”
The incident was Surrey RCMP’s 206th call of the new year and among more than 400 reports fielded by police over the course of the evening.
Grainger said that while officers were kept busy, they were ready for the call volume.
“We had a plan in place to have extra officers on shift,” he said. “It was a fairly routine New Year’s Eve.”
Anyone with information on the gunman involved in the pub incident is asked to call police at 604-599-0502.
– Tracy Holmes