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POLICE ‘and Lugaro Jewellers empioyees try to 5 determine what was taken by pepper:spray toting bandits during : a heist Friday. at Park k Royal South: ‘Store employ- oo

ees and d bystanders were hit with the debilitating chemical. One woman vomited from the effects of the Spray,

News Reporter : fas —
jan@usnews.com.:* :

‘AN hour after brazen thieves ripped off a
Park’ Royal | South jewelry store Friday,

the pepper spray mist still hung in.the air.
Reg Fitzgerald, a-trucker who had just made a delivery to
Park’ Roval, was outside Lugaro Jewellers before noon when: he
saw. two. guys in: ski masks, one carrying a hanimer, running,
“from the store,
itzeerald recognized something wasn't right,
Then he fele the pepper spray.
uffavas wicked. You couldnt breathe in here,”
anding durside the jewelry. stare,
ycyes Were stinging and your throat: and nose. starts to
could barely keepon my eyes open,” “he toldone of the

he ;

- Ski- masked bandits rob. wy
~ jewelry store, pepper-spray

witnesses at Park Royal mall

handful of television cameras surfing among mall patrons alter

the robbery. -
West Vancouver Police Staff Ser. Barry: Nickerson said three
or four men. dressed. in black and. wearing black ski miasks

entered Lagaro Jewellers at approximately 11:30 a.m.
The niasked robbers pepper, sprayed about: five store att

members, smashed glasyicases and stole jewelry.

» Nickerson said the robbers put down a path of pepper spray
as they were chased by Park Roval Shopping Centre security
stait, The rabbers brandished nwo.hand guns while’ fleeing. No
shots were fired, |

oe greparasn teeny

Be BF

The thieves took off in a’stolen:car that was: later found
abandoned nest to the, Capilano River near, Keith Road and the
Trans-Canada Highway, The car had been stolen in Burnaby:

the night before. 4

“Nickerson said the robbers made a clean escape “and likely.
gotinto another vehicle after discarding the getaway car,

The pursuing security guard was. Bernie Smith, He said acit-
izen alerted him to to men Wearing masks in Lugaro,

‘He curned and saw. two men running out and gota whiffet
the pepper spray,

Smith, a former cop, attempted to grab one of the thieves
but he got pepper sprayed. ‘

Fred Whitbread and Larry Coles’ were manning a charity
booth that the thieves ran past. Whitbread said robbers sprayed
him and others as they fled. , '

“You can hardly breathe when vou breathe it'in,” ihe. said:

¢ Shoppers paac 3

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