Fed up with crime, this Ottawa store owner took matters into his own hands
A store owner in Barrhaven who has been robbed multiple times wasn't going to let it happen again. Against the advice of police, he stepped in to stop another robbery from happening right in his store.
It happened at an eye glasses store called Eyes of Barrhaven on Strandherd Drive near Citigate Drive.
It unfolded in minutes during daylight hours on Monday. The store owner says the suspects walked in and started taking items off the shelves. That's when he jumped into action.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Surveillance video shows the moment four people walked into the store, the situation quickly escalating.
"Two of them were masked. They looked like they were not interested in buying anything. They were just coming in to take merchandise like they've done in the past five other times. And we just had enough of it," said Awni George, the owner of Eyes of Barrhaven.
George says he witnessed the thieves pocketing designer sunglasses and eyewear off the shelves.
"I was pushed by the individual as he took the frames right in front of me and said, 'You can't do anything about it.' And those were his words to me, 'We're going to come in here and we're going to take whatever we want and walk out.'"
Moving quickly, George stopped the robbery, perfoming a citizen's arrest.
Others in the store jumped in to help, holding down one suspect, while the three ran away.
"Three of them ran out with a bunch of frames, and then one of the other gentlemen tried to escape and he wasn't so fortunate to get out," said Andrew Ratte, who helped to perform the citizen's arrest. "And then luckily we had him on the ground and then from there he started to make malicious threats, talking about stabbing us with fentanyl."
George says it appears to be the same group of people who have stolen from his store several other times. He estimates he's out around $15,000 from all of the incidents.
"It's very damaging to a small business that we have to constantly be in this state of fear, in the state of alarm. And at the same time, financially, we're burdened by these criminals constantly coming in and committing these crimes against us," said George.
Ottawa police were not available for an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson said in an email that police don't recommend anyone attempt a citizen's arrest for the safety of the victims and bystanders. On Friday, police said a 40-year-old man was arrested and charged with robbery with violence and breach of probation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6946944.1719771804!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Neighbour on the hook for $3,675 in damages due to ‘nuisance cedar’: B.C. tribunal
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
More WestJet flight cancellations as strike hits tens of thousands of travellers
WesJet flight cancellations grew to over 800 Sunday afternoon, upending plans for close to 100,000 passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day on the busiest travel weekend of the season.
A study identified 6 types of depression. Here’s why that matters
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.
Several U.S. military bases in Europe on heightened alert amid possible terrorist threat
Several U.S. military bases across Europe were put on a heightened state of alert over the weekend, with the level of force protection raised to its second-highest state amid concerns that a terrorist attack could target U.S. military personnel or facilities, according to two U.S. officials.
She's still busy at 105. What secrets and science are behind Canada's 'super agers'?
There is ongoing research to better understand the relationship between social connection and healthy aging, and why the brains of super agers look different compared with their peers.
Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Creators urge Ottawa to force disclosure of ‘black box’ AI system training
Canadian creators and publishers want the government to do something about the unauthorized and usually unreported use of their content to train generative artificial intelligence systems.
French voters propel far-right National Rally to strong lead in first-round legislative elections
France's high-stakes legislative elections propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong but not decisive lead in the first-round vote Sunday, polling agencies projected, dealing another slap to centrist President Emmanuel Macron after his risky decision to call voters back to the polls for the second time in three weeks.
Some of Canada's wealthiest billionaires, according to Forbes
If you gathered all the wealth that billionaires currently have worldwide, you would have about US$14.2 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine. But what about in Canada alone?