A Delta man has been charged after allegedly trying to rob a group of teenagers and assaulting one youth in the process.
Katlin James Richardson, 32, is facing three counts of robbery, one count of uttering threats with the intent to cause bodily harm, and one count of assault in relation to the incident that happened in the early hours of June 2. Richardson remains in custody and was scheduled to appear in court today (June 14).
According to a press release from the Delta Police Department, shortly after 1 a.m. a man approached six youths walking near 1st Avenue and English Bluff Road in Tsawwassen.
The man allegedly instructed the youths to hand over their valuables and threatened to shoot them if they didn’t obey his instructions. One youth explained that he did not have a wallet on him and was allegedly punched twice in the face.
The youths ran away and called 911 to report the attempted robbery. Police arrived on scene within five minutes and located the youths nearby.
During the follow up investigation, a Tsawwassen resident called Delta police to report video footage of a suspicious male from that night.
“This footage proved instrumental in the investigation,” said Insp. Guy Leeson of the DPD’s criminal investigations bureau in a press release.
The DPD’s property crime unit took over the investigation and secured a search warrant, making an arrest shortly thereafter.
Leeson confirmed the suspect and the youths were not known to each other prior to this incident.
“Robberies are relatively rare, and the public should be assured that Delta is a safe community,” he said.
“I also want to commend the youths for their presence of mind that evening, as they were able to quickly contact police and provide valuable information which allowed our investigation to proceed rapidly.”
Leeson took the opportunity to remind the public about the DPD’s Community Watch Program, whereby residents and businesses can easily register the presence of their security video cameras.
Video footage can be extremely valuable to police, he said, assisting in solving everything from theft-from-autos to more serious investigations.
READ MORE: Video database offers way for public to assist Delta police
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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