Vancouver police ask for video after armed robbery at Commercial Drive café
Posted November 23, 2022 10:42 am.
If you were driving along Commercial Drive Sunday morning and have dash cam footage, Vancouver police may want to hear from you.
The Vancouver Police Department is asking for video that may help them find those responsible for a robbery at gunpoint at Café du Soleil during the brunch rush over the weekend.
“We’ve made significant progress in this case since Sunday, and we believe there are people who may unknowingly have dash-cam video of the suspects fleeing the area,” said Sgt. Steve Addison.
“That video may contain important evidence that could help us identify the suspects and lead to an arrest.”
Investigators are looking for footage that may have been taken along Commercial Drive between Charles and Kitchener streets, or along 1st Avenue between Cotton Drive and Boundary Road, between 9 a.m. and 11:25 a.m.
“Detectives may ask to review video to determine whether the suspects, or the car they used, were caught on camera,” the VPD said in a release Wednesday.
Related article: ‘It’s very concerning, it’s alarming, it’s frightening’: East Vancouver diners robbed at gunpoint, VPD says
Police say more than a dozen employees and customers were left traumatized after two men with guns walked into the café around 11 a.m. The suspects are said to have pointed their guns at those inside, as people were told to hand over their phones and other valuables.
One person was physically hurt during the robbery, the VPD adds, noting the suspects then left the scene in a car before officers arrived.
“It’s very concerning, it’s alarming, it’s frightening. We have people who are minding their own business out with their friends, their spouses, their kids, their family members, having Sunday brunch, minding their own business on Commercial Drive. The last thing that they expect is for something so violent and so brazen as this to happen,” Addison told CityNews Monday.
Suspect descriptions were not available, with police saying the two people were wearing hats, hoodies, and gloves during the robbery, likely to hide their identity.
“We don’t want anything like this to happen again, we don’t want these people to strike again, and we’ll pull out all the stops to figure out who these guys are and to make sure that they’re in custody as soon as we can,” Addison added.
Anyone with dash-cam footage or any information is asked to contact the VPD’s Major Crime Section at 604.717.2541.
