Wednesday July 29, 2015 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Robber escapes on bike Credit union: Man with shotgun holds up teller. By Martha Wickett OBSeRVeR STAFF
The incident lasted less than a minute, left some credit union employees traumatized and resulted in a small payout for an armed robber. dressed in a black balaclava, a long-sleeved, black cotton shirt and dark jeans that were equipped with a make-shift holster taped to his right leg, a man walked into the downtown branch of the Salmon Arm Savings and credit union at 4:15 Monday afternoon. Police report he approached the teller counter with what witnesses described as a sawed-off shotgun in hand and demanded money. An undisclosed amount of cash was turned over which he placed in a black sports bag. He then fled the area on an unusual getaway vehicle – a bicycle. He was described as thin and possibly 6 ft. 3 in. tall. upon arrival, police surrounded the area and set up perimeters but were unable to locate the suspect. Witnesses reported seeing a police officer parked at the Husky station carrying a gun. Staff Sgt. Scott West explained a number of officers are trained with carbines, a long gun that mounts on the front of the police vest. West said a couple of witnesses stated the suspect might have headed eastbound on lakeshore drive, but after that the reports ended. He said police are investigating all leads. Officers would like the public’s assistance in providing any information about anyone matching the suspect’s description who may have been seen around downtown on July 27. You are asked to call Salmon Arm RcMP at 250-832-6044 or, to leave an anonymous tip, call crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Michael Wagner, SAScu’s ceO, said staff were offered trauma counselling and some have been taking part after the frightening incident. “The employee involved, as you can imagine, See Type on page A2
Evan BuHlEr/OBSeRVeR
Driver escapes: First responders discuss the series of events that unfolded at the scene of a two-vehicle collision near Balmoral on the Trans-Canada Highway on Friday, July 24.
Two crashes, one fatality Highway destruction: Two vehicles crash at Balmoral Friday, a motorcyclist is killed in a collision near Tappen Saturday. By Martha Wickett OBSeRVeR STAFF
no one was killed in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of the Trans-canada Highway and Balmoral Road Friday afternoon that left one vehicle flipped over in the middle of the highway. On Saturday night, however, a motorcyclist died in a two-vehicle crash on Highway #1 near Tappen. RcMP Traffic Services from Revelstoke report the driver of the vehicle that overturned Friday will be charged with failure to yield. Police say the 2005 black
This week A home on 60th Street SE sustains extensive smoke damage. See page A12. A Salmar promotion takes top honours in Canada. See more on page A8.
Ford edge SuV was stopped at the Balmoral intersection, intending to turn left (east), onto the Trans-canada. “The black Ford edge proceeded before it was safe, directly into the path of a westbound 2010 white Ford edge SuV. The white Ford struck the driver’s side of the black Ford,” states an RcMP news release. Police say the driver and only occupant of the black vehicle was transported by helicopter to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, with injuries later determined to not be life-threatening. In the white vehicle, the
driver suffered minor injuries and the passenger sustained broken bones. Both were taken to hospital in Salmon Arm. The highway was closed to traffic for about an hour. On Saturday, a motorcyclist from nanaimo was killed after the driver of a car travelling east on Highway #1 lost control and skidded sideways near James Road. The motorcyclist, heading west, was hit by the passenger side of the car and both vehicles ended up in the ditch. “A passing nurse and doctor stopped and rendered
assistance but, despite their efforts and the efforts of Provincial Ambulance, the operator of the motorcycle, a 39-year-old male from nanaimo, succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” states a police news release. The driver and sole occupant of the car, a 34-year-old man from Vancouver, was treated in hospital and released a short time later. The highway was closed following the collision but reopened about 2:30 Sunday morning. Police and the Bc coroners Service are both conducting investigations.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Sports................A15-A17 Time Out....................A18 Arts & Events ... A19-A21 Vol. 108, No. 30, 44 pages