A 34-year-old man was arrested at Staples in North Nanaimo, shortly after allegedly robbing the Coast Capital Savings bank at Woodgrove Centre. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

CRIME SPREE

Failed bank robber quickly arrested by Nanaimo RCMP

May 12, 2021 | 11:11 AM

NANAIMO — Police wasted no time foiling the getaway of a would-be bank robber.

RCMP said 34-year-old William Joseph Lesieur allegedly went on a crime spree through Woodgrove Centre, stealing clothing from SportChek before dumping it in the parking lot around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11.

Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW, the man ditched clothes when he couldn’t remove the security tags with a rock and set his sights on the nearby Coast Capital Savings location on Aulds Rd., across the street from the mall.

“He went in with a note, no weapon was produced but threats were made and for some reason he backed out at the last second. Then he came across an elderly gentlemen trying to get money out of the ATM and tried to rob him.”

The man left empty-handed but the two incidents gave police enough time to attend. He was quickly apprehended after entering Staples.

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Lesieur faces two counts of robbery and one charge of theft under $5,000 and is due in court Tuesday afternoon for a scheduled bail hearing.

“This has all the earmarks of somebody who is 100 per cent desperate and most likely has a base in drugs of some type, would not be surprised to see that,” O’Brien said. “For somebody to go at such lengths and put themselves at such jeopardy…(they’re) looking at signficant jail time.”

He previously served three months in jail for possessing stolen property under $5,000 in 2006.

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