Three people face charges after an incident at a grocery store that saw a loss-prevention officer hit with a laser pointer.
According to police, around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, a woman went into a grocery store on Adelaide Street near Huron Street. She filled her handbag with several items and was approached by the loss-prevention officer. The woman ran from the store without paying for any of the items.
The loss-prevention officer followed her as she ran to an awaiting car, but stopped when a citizen pointed out a red laser dot, which the officer believed may have been from a firearm. The loss-prevention officer then went back into the store and called police.
Police said a suspect vehicle was spotted a short distance away and, because of the possibility that a firearm was in the vehicle, officers conducted a high-risk vehicle stop. Two men and a woman were arrested.
“It is well known that a robbery occurs when there is a theft with the inclusion of violence. But a theft can escalate to a robbery when a person steals from another while armed with an offensive weapon, or imitation thereof,” said Detective Sergeant Ryan Scrivens of the Criminal Investigation Division of the London Police. “In this particular case, when both the witness and the victim observed the laser dot to be visible on the victim's body, there was an honest belief that the dot inferred the presence of a firearm and caused fear to both individuals.”
In addition to the stolen items from the grocery store, police seized about $140 worth of suspected methamphetamine and hydromorphone.
Two men and a woman from Ingersoll are each charged with possession of a Schedule I substance and robbery with violence or threats.