Shocked and frustrated
Charlottetown business owner who was robbed at knife point last month has faced several thefts
A Charlottetown business owner said he was angry and disappointed after his store was robbed last week by a man carrying a small knife.
Tie Deng, owner of Capital Convenience and Smoke Shop (formerly Smooth Smoke Shop) on University Avenue, was working the evening of Nov. 28 when a man entered his establishment and showed him what Deng described as a small knife.
The suspect, who was wearing blue plastic gloves and a bandana that covered his nose and mouth, purchased a lighter and when the cash drawer was open, grabbed money from the till.
“He got away with $480 in $20 bills,” Deng told The Guardian on Dec. 3.
From there, the man left and ran through the Enterprise Rent-a-Car parking lot where Deng said he got into a white pick-up truck and quickly left the scene.
Charlottetown police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the man, who was caught on the store’s security cameras.
Deng, who moved to the Island from Shanghai, China, with his wife and children, took over the store in May.
Since then, Deng said he’s been robbed several times but said this time was “the most serious one” to date.
“Before this, I suffered many (thefts). Many stuff, from candy, lighters, chips – the small stuff. Also the cigarettes by (the) carton,” he said. “It’s really frustrating. I’m really shocked.”
While he said he wasn’t scared during the robbery, he does feel like Canada isn’t the country he thought it was.
“I also feel very angry and very disappointed here in Canada. They all said Canada is very safe, people were nice, but in fact it’s not true,” he said. “Before that, I really wanted to (come) here for a long time, but now, maybe I’ve changed my time. It’s really not the ideal place for me to live.”
The Guardian was unable to reach police for any further information.
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to call Charlottetown Police Services at 902-629-4172 or P.E.I. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).