Yet another Quebec sporting goods store robbed of handguns

For the third time in a month, a Quebec sporting goods store has been targeted by thieves who made off with a haul of handguns. The latest incident occurred around 11 p.m. Tuesday at a Pronature store on Sherbrooke St. in Magog in the Eastern Townships. Mickael Laroche of the local regional police said an alarm sounded when a back door of the store was forced open. According to the store’s owners, the thieves made off with more than a dozen handguns after shattering the glass display case that contained them. The value of the weapons is estimated between $15,000 and $20,000.

SPEEDY CRIME

Last Oct. 23, about $20,000 worth of handguns were taken from the Lachance Chasse et Pêche store on King St. E. in Sherbrooke after thieves bored a hole through the wall of the establishment. The speed of the burglary was such that the thieves had already left the scene even though it took police just two minutes to respond to the alarm. That same speed was apparent in the latest incident in Magog and police suspect the same group carried out both burglaries. Investigators will examine surveillance images captured by cameras at the Magog store, although it is unknown whether those cameras were installed inside the site. The store is on a busy street near the Galeries Orford shopping centre. A week before the Oct. 23 theft in Sherbrooke about 30 handguns were stolen at another Pronature, this time in Alma in the Lac-SaintJean region. That investigation is being conducted by the Sûreté du Québec.