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.

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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.

Officers have the person believed to be responsible in custody. Officers will remain on scene as the investigation into the incident is ongoing. There is no risk to Public Safety. More details to follow. https://t.co/0Ww4IAwC6J

— Sudbury Police (@SudburyPolice) December 8, 2022

HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE - Officers responding to Robbery at store on Lorne St. No injuries reported. K9 conducting track. Officers on scene of residential building in relation to Robbery. Pls avoid area & do not live stream footage of officers. This is an Officer Safety concern

— Sudbury Police (@SudburyPolice) December 8, 2022