Police check possible link between Kelowna restaurant robberies

KELOWNA – Police are investigating the possible connection between the robbery of a pizza restaurant on Sunday to a similar incident at a frozen yogurt store last week.

Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donghey says in a media release investigators are looking at the  similarities of the two incidents and will be reviewing security footage from both restaurants.

In Sunday’s incident, Jan. 3, the 17-year-old cashier of pizza restaurant in the 1900 block of Kane Road was robbed at aproximately 11:30 a.m. by a man who displayed what appeared to be a handgun before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

During the robbery on Dec. 29, a masked male entered the store, showed the handle of a handgun and demanded an employee give him cash.

The suspect in both incidents was tall with a slim build.

The suspect in Sunday’s pizza store robbery was described as 6' 3" inches tall with light brown hair wearing black jeans and a black jacket with a fur trimmed hood. During the robbery, the suspect wore a black mask.

As in last week’s case, the police service dog was brought in and located a track but it ended where police believe the suspect got into a waiting car.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

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