A Steveston store owner is reeling after being robbed twice in the space of a few weeks.
Glenda Walliser can’t believe her bad luck after her high-end consignment store on Moncton Street was broken into by a thief around 5:20 a.m. on Saturday.
After responding to the alarm, she then watched the CCTV footage in utter disgust as the culprit ripped through Bon Retour Consignment Fashion, grabbing as many of the expensive items as possible.
Only last month, Walliser had confronted another thief, who tried to steal two designer handbags from under her nose.
She told the Richmond News on Tuesday how she fought with the man that time, only for him to run off with the stolen bags, before he dropped them when a passerby managed to force him up against a wall.
“It was bright outside. And he doesn’t flinch when the alarm goes off,” Walliser said of the CCTV footage.
“People (on social media) are saying it looks like a woman, but I have no idea.
“I believe he had cased the place and knew what he was coming for. He took all the high end stuff and left the cheaper items.”
Walliser said things seem to be going from bad to worse in the village, since she moved the business there 10 years ago from Vancouver – to get away from the frequent thefts.
“The guy (six weeks ago) came in; he wanted to look at these bags, he knew the high end ones. He was taking videos of them, talking to someone on the phone. I thought ‘this was weird,’” recalled Walliser.
“He wanted to see them side by side on the counter. He grabbed them and started to run out the door. I fought with him, which was stupid, but it was a reaction. He pushed me, I ran after him, I shouted ‘he’s stealing from me’. This guy grabbed him, had him up against the wall. He dropped the bags and ran away.
“I locked the store and didn’t open again that day. I didn’t go back for about four days. It’s not the same person as the break-in, though.
“I used to be in Vancouver, on Cambie, then Broadway, then Marpole. I had so many break-ins in Vancouver, so I had enough of it and I always wanted to be in Steveston.”
Walliser said she some people commented on Facebook that their properties in Steveston had been broken into by someone of a similar description the same morning.
However, Richmond RCMP said it has not received any such reports, other than the break-in at Walliser’s store on Moncton Street.
Police say they arrived at the scene around 5:30 a.m. to find the front door appearing to be pried open, but there was no one inside.
Their investigation is still ongoing and a suspect has not yet been identified.
Anyone who may have information on this matter is encouraged to contact the contact the Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212, quoting file number 21-13663.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit them online at www.solvecrime.ca
