A man who allegedly tried to rob a group of Tsawwassen teenagers, assaulting one youth in the process, is now facing serious charges as a result of this incident.
On June 2, 2019, shortly after 1 am, a man approached six youths walking near 1st Avenue and English Bluff Rd in Tsawwassen.
The man allegedly instructed the youths to hand over their valuables, and threatened to shoot them if they did not obey his instructions. One youth explained that he did not have a wallet on him, and was allegedly punched twice in the face.
The youths ran away, and called 9-1-1 to report the attempted robbery. Police arrived on scene within five minutes and located the youths nearby, standing and waiting for police.
During the follow up investigation a Tsawwassen resident called Delta Police to report video footage of a suspicious male from that night.
“This footage proved instrumental in the investigation,” says Inspector Guy Leeson, of the Criminal Investigations Bureau. He points out that Delta Police has a program called the Community Watch Program, whereby residents and businesses can easily register the presence of their security video cameras. Video footage can be extremely valuable to police, assisting in solving everything from theft from autos to more serious investigations.
Delta Police’s Property Crime Unit took over the investigation and secured a search warrant, making an arrest shortly thereafter.
“Robberies are relatively rare, and the public should be assured that Delta is a safe community,” says Insp. Leeson. He confirms the suspect and the youths were not known to each other prior to this incident.
“I also want to commend the youths for their presence of mind that evening, as they were able to quickly contact police and provide valuable information which allowed our investigation to proceed rapidly,” says Insp. Leeson.
Katlin James Richardson, age 32, of Delta BC, is facing three counts of robbery (344(1)(b), one count of uttering threats with the intent to cause bodily harm 264.1(1) and one count of assault (266). He has been remanded in custody and next appears in court June 14.