Sudbury convenience store owner hit suspect with a bat during robbery
An 18-year-old suspect has been charged after a convenience store on Lorne Street was robbed Thursday morning in Greater Sudbury.
Rick Sallan, owner of Dino’s Milk Mart, told Amanda Hicks of CTV News the sequence of events that led to the robbery.
Sallan said the suspect has shopped at the store before and came in Thursday morning to buy rolling papers. While he was getting his change, the suspect went over by the entrance to the store and demanded his money back.
The till was still open at this point and the suspect ran to the counter and grabbed a handful of cash from the open drawer. At this point, Sallan grabbed a baseball bat he keeps behind the counter and struck the suspect in the back as he fled the store.
By 11 a.m., police had a suspect in custody following a canine track.
- Download our app to get alerts sent to your device
- Get the latest newsletter sent right to your inbox
Hicks reported from the scene that police were investigating at a fourplex at the corner of Tuddenham Avenue in the Gatchell area of the city.
A neighbour told Hicks he heard police banging on the door at the back apartment.
"I got a text from a friend saying 'there’s police outside your house.' I go outside and I see police, about four cruisers, and I heard banging at the apartment behind," neighbour Dwayne Lemieux told CTV News.
"The officer told me to get back into my apartment. I asked 'is my life in danger?' And I was told to get back inside."
In a news release, police said they were called around 9:45 a.m. and began the canine track just after they arrived at the scene.
"Officers began a K9 track that led them to a residential building on Lorne Street," police said.
"Due to the immediate concerns for public safety and based on exigent circumstances, members of our (emergency response unit) made entry into the unit and located the man inside. Upon searching the man after the arrest, officers located what is believed to be 10 grams of fentanyl."
He is now charged with trafficking, robbery, mischief and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
“We would like to commend all personnel involved with this call as it required a coordinated response from units across the service and resulted in the timely arrest of the person believed to be responsible,” police said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.

opinion | Don Martin: Trudeau meets the moment – and ducks for cover
Based on Justin Trudeau's first-day fail in the House of Commons, 'meeting the moment' is destined to become the most laughable slogan since the elder Pierre Trudeau’s disastrous campaign rallying cry in 1972, which insisted 'the land is strong' just as the economy tanked.
A short-lived 'punch in the face' cold snap is coming for Eastern Canada
The beginning of February is expected to bring Arctic-like temperatures across much of Eastern Canada, thanks to frigid air from the polar vortex. The cold snap will descend on Eastern Canada this week, with temperatures becoming seasonable again on Sunday. In between, much of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada can expect the coldest days yet this winter.
Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activities
Parks Canada says visitors will be able to start booking reservations for camping and other activities at its sites across the country in March.
No need for every toxic chemical to have a pollution plan, Ottawa says
The federal government is playing a dangerous game by refusing to force any company that makes or uses toxic chemicals to have a plan in place to prevent them from getting into the environment, a lawyer for the Canadian Environmental Law Association said Monday.
Federal agency targeting illegal wildlife trade through financial intelligence
Canada's financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket.
Why adding a bit of milk to your morning coffee might be good for you
Adding some milk to your morning coffee may boost the body's anti-inflammatory response, new research out of Denmark shows.
'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75
Cindy Williams, who was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 80s for her role as Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the beloved sitcom 'Laverne & Shirley,' has died, her family said Monday.
Late Jean Vanier sexually abused 25 women, says non-profit he founded
A report commissioned by a non-profit organization founded by the late Jean Vanier says the Canadian sexually abused 25 women during his decades with the group.