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Thieves Use Bear Spray in Robbery of Vancouver's Oakridge Centre Apple Store

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As reported by The Vancouver Sun, three men discharged bear repellant during a robbery of Apple's Oakridge Centre retail store in Vancouver while the store was full of customers last night.

oakridge-apple-store-.jpg
Photo: @CTVBCBRK​
Police say three men entered the store shortly before 7:00 PM last night while around 40 customers were in the store, discharging the spray and stealing "a small number of electronics [items]" before fleeing.

Five people were treated at the scene by paramedics for the effects of exposure to the spray. A police dog unit recovered some of the stolen items but the thieves have not yet been found.

It is not known whether there is a link to a robbery in January in the same city, where two men robbed a jewelry store at gunpoint before fleeing 'in a cloud of bear spray'.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

The discussion thread is currently closed.

Article Link: Thieves Use Bear Spray in Robbery of Vancouver's Oakridge Centre Apple Store
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/05/thieves-use-bear-spray-in-robbery-of-vancouvers-oakridge-centre-apple-store/
designs216

designs216

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Oct 26, 2009
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On the face of it, the scenario might seem absurd but I guess the crooks can't be charged with armed robbery if they're caught. As it stands, their gambit seems to have paid off.
 
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ghostface147

ghostface147

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You'll get a lead sandwich if you attack me with bear spray, pending it's legal for me to carry at the location.
 
jonnysods

jonnysods

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Yvan256 said:
This is Canada. Most people don't have guns and bear attacks are the real danger we face every day.

Just kidding. The real danger comes from some of our politicians.
Click to expand...

I live in Ontario. The most danger we face here are from pointed sticks. And they will most likely ban those here soon too!
 
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snberk103

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Oct 22, 2007
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designs216 said:
On the face of it, the scenario might seem absurd but I guess the crooks can't be charged with armed robbery if they're caught. As it stands, their gambit seems to have paid off.
Click to expand...
Use of Bear Spray makes this a violent robbery, and as I understand it, puts it into the same category as if a gun had been used.
Yvan256 said:
This is Canada. Most people don't have guns and bear attacks are the real danger we face every day.

Just kidding. The real danger comes from some of our politicians.
Click to expand...
Actually, we don't have guns... and I am more at risk of a bear attack here on the coast than being shot. Except by a hunter. One of the amazing things about Vancouver is that you can a city bus, for a regular fare, to one of several parks on the North Shore where you can hiking in the wilderness, get lost, and die. Or be attacked by a bear. Happens every year (the getting lost part and dying part, bear attacks are usually rare... mostly because people carry bear spray).
ghostface147 said:
You'll get a lead sandwich if you attack me with bear spray, pending it's legal for me to carry at the location.
Click to expand...
It's not legal, and you'll get arrested. If you cause harm to the robber you may even get charged with assault, unless you can show you were actually in imminent danger of being injured or killed.

No one was hurt, some stuff was stolen. The police will probably catch these thieves because they appear to be developing a pattern.

A wise old cop once told me that anyone who isn't an idiot can rob a bank and get away with it... once. It's when you start repeating yourself that the cops catch you.
 
ghostface147

ghostface147

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snberk103 said:
A wise old cop once told me that anyone who isn't an idiot can rob a bank and get away with it... once. It's when you start repeating yourself that the cops catch you.
Click to expand...

Well I better get a damn good heist that first time.

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kevinfulton.ca said:
So after being blinded by bear spray you'd just take a gun out and start unloading?
Click to expand...

Of course not. That puts others at risk. That's a criminal act in Texas even if you have your license.

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turtlez said:
should have used your own strength and not a machine's strength.
Click to expand...

Nah. I'd rather be sure to end things.
 
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snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
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ghostface147 said:
Well I better get a damn good heist that first time....
Click to expand...
That's almost always the case. The thieves have an inflated vision how much they'll get, and then when the get away with it the first time (it seems) they go back for more.
ghostface147 said:
...
Nah. I'd rather be sure to end things.
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It's just a pity that for every bad guy who gets killed by a gun, about 8 other innocent people are killed by friends and family member during an argument.

Oh, well I guess that is the price of freedom... :rolleyes:
 
balamw

balamw

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Aug 16, 2005
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MOD NOTE: Most of comments in the thread have tended towards a PRSI discussion, so we moved the thread to PRSI.

B
 
rdowns

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
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ghostface147 said:
You'll get a lead sandwich if you attack me with bear spray, pending it's legal for me to carry at the location.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I'm sure you'll be making loads of lead sandwiches (hold the mayo please) as your wriggling around on the floor temporarily blinded by the spray.
 
pivo6

pivo6

macrumors 68000
Dec 2, 2002
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eric/ said:
I think we should ban bear spray

nobody hunts bears, it has no use other than for criminals to cause mayhem. It's not like anybody needs it.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

I guess you've never been to Minnesota, where there is a bear season for hunting.
 
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