Armed robber who took pizza delivery driver hostage has sentence reduced

KELOWNA – A Surrey man who shot at police and kidnapped a pizza delivery driver after robbing a Kelowna pawn shop three years ago had his sentence reduced last week.

Devan Markcus Wong, now 21, was wearing a ski mask and carrying a loaded 9mm pistol when he walked into Premier Jewelry and Loans in West Kelowna on Dec. 6, 2011. He pointed the gun at the shop owner and two other people before escaping with $250,000 worth of jewelry.

As Wong fled down an alley, he fired two shots at police, dropped the stolen jewelry and hopped a fence. He then forced a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint to take him to West Kelowna.

During the trial in June 2013, Crown prosecutor David Ruse said an investigation showed he then booked and boarded a flight from Kelowna back to Vancouver where he lived with his mother.

Ruse called Wong’s criminal record “extremely serious,” noting multiple convictions as a youth for assault, robbery and obstruction of a peace officer.

He was convicted March 18, 2013 and on June 26 sentenced to eight years in prison minus the 500 days he spent in custody before the trial. However the courts have since recognized that accused people should be given extra credit for time spent in custody prior to trial. Wong appealed his case and won a significantly reduced sentence since every day in custody prior to sentencing counts for 1.5 days. His sentenced was reduced to five years, 345 days.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.