Saanichton clerk foils armed thief
She tossed gun as he put it down to hold loot bag; suspect at large
Neve Kary is still shaking her head over a would-be robber who put his gun down to lend her a helping hand on Friday.
The 19-year-old said the robber entered the cold beer and wine store at the Prairie Inn in Saanichton where she works just a few minutes before the 11 p.m. closing time.
He pointed what she thought was a handgun at her; it was later determined to be an air pistol. The man told her to put money in a bag he handed over. But Kary had trouble opening the cash drawer and despite his demands to “go faster,” she had trouble extracting the money tray.
The robber put his gun on the counter and held the bag open for her, using both hands. Seeing that, Kary grabbed the gun by the barrel and dropped it on the floor behind her. She also shut the cash drawer.
“I didn’t say anything and he just looked at me, and I guess he realized he didn’t have any more leverage,” she said. “He ran out when he realized he wasn’t going to get anything.”
Cpl. Dan Cottingham of the Central Saanich Police said the man is 25 to 30, approximately five-foot-seven and heavyset. He was wearing wire-rimmed prescription glasses with thick lenses.
Cottingham credited Kary’s quick-thinking and courage. But he also said citizens should not take unnecessary risks when facing a criminal.
Kary dismissed any suggestion of bravery.
When the robber entered and demanded money, she initially thought it was a prank.
“He comes in and says: ‘Put the money in the bag,’ ” said Kary. “I thought he was just joking and said: ‘No.’ ”
“So he said: ‘Yes,’ but sternly, to try and prove it wasn’t a joke,” she said.
She then saw the gun and tried to comply. But she has had the job for only about three months and fussed with the drawer.
“I told him: ‘I can’t concentrate with you pointing a gun at my face,’ and he sort of moved it aside,” Kary said.
After he put the gun down, she just moved by instinct or “on autopilot,” she said.
“Anybody in that situation would have grabbed it,” Kary said. “If you are able to defuse a situation, you do it. So I don’t think I was heroic or anything.”