Police believe the suspect in six Subway sandwich shop robberies in Surrey (above) may be responsible for the latest armed robbery at an Abbotsford outlet on Monday.
Photograph by: RCMP photo , for the Abbotsford Times
Abbotsford is the latest community hit in a robbery spree involving Subway sandwich shops across the Fraser Valley this week.
On Monday at 3:30 p.m. a suspect with a stocking pulled over his face entered the Subway in the 31900 block of South Fraser Way brandishing some kind of shiny, silver weapon, said Const. Ian MacDonald.
The man, described as a South Asian with a thin build and up to five feet eight inches in height, grabbed cash from the restaurant's till before fleeing.
Abbotsford investigators believe the suspect might be the same man responsible for six robberies at various Subway outlets in Surrey over the past five days, said MacDonald.
The latest Surrey robbery took place on Sunday at 6:45 p.m. in the 8,000 block of King George Boulevard.
The suspect was armed with a knife and stole an undisclosed amount of money, according to the Surrey RCMP.
The Mounties believe the man may be responsible for five other recent robberies involving the sandwich chain in the Newton, Guildford, and City Centre areas of Surrey.
The Surrey suspect is described as a right-handed South Asian male in his early to mid 20's, with a slim build that may be associated with a four-door silver vehicle, possibly an early 2000-model Honda.
The suspect or suspects may be targeting the restaurants because they typically have a limited number of staff and sit-down clients, cash in the till and would-be robbers can easily see whether a shop is empty before hitting it, said MacDonald.
Immediately after the Abbotsford robbery, the APD contacted all the other Subway shops in the community to advise them of the potential threat.
Although most of the recent robberies have occurred in Surrey, APD can't assume the suspect or suspects won't hit Abbotsford again, said MacDonald.
"Officers are ensuring [local] shops' security video and protocols are in place and APD will increase patrols in and around Subway restaurants until the bad guy is caught," he said.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet cautioned merchants and the public to take precautions if faced with a robbery threat.
If confronted, people should remain calm and cooperate with the robber's demands without arguing, pay attention to the suspect's appearance and note what direction he takes when departing.
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