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Diner robs gas station to pay tab: police

A 21-year-old Surrey man is facing charges in connection with "a most unusual robbery" in North Vancouver Friday.
4629whiterockRCMP

A 21-year-old Surrey man is facing charges in connection with "a most unusual robbery" in North Vancouver Friday.

Police say they were dispatched to the Esso on Lonsdale Avenue at 17 Street around 9:30 p.m. Aug. 26, after the gas station's hold-up alarm was triggered. The robbery – in which police say an employee was threatened with a screwdriver – occurred shortly after a man who had dined at a nearby restaurant left without paying his $38-tab.

The diner reportedly told restaurant staff to call police, and that he would be at the gas station next door, a news release states.

Shortly after the gas station robbery, the dine-and-dash patron returned to pay his bill, police say.

Corey Henderson, 21, of Surrey, has been charged with robbery, fraudulently obtaining food and beverage and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose in connection with the incident. Released from custody, Henderson is due back in North Vancouver Court Sept. 7.