Attempted armed robbery at Vernon drive-thru ends with suspect’s arrest

VERNON – A 34-year-old Vernon man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened people with a shotgun at a downtown drive-thru fast-food restaurant.

According to a Vernon North Okanagan RCMP media release, the incident happened shortly after 11 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 3, at a drive-thru restaurant located at the 3100 block of 25 Avenue. RCMP do not say which restaurant.

The man approached a vehicle whose occupants were waiting for their food at the drive-thru, pulled out a shotgun, threatened the passengers in the vehicle and demanded money.

"The immediate instinct of the driver was to flee the area, which she promptly did by driving his vehicle out of the drive-thru area and called police," Vernon RCMP spokesperson Const. Kelly Brett said in the release.

"While responding to the call and with the detailed description provided by the victim, frontline officers were able to quickly locate the suspect and make an arrest without incident. The firearm was located and seized by police."

A 34-year-old Vernon man remains in custody and could face up to 15 fire-arm related charges.

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