A married couple who allegedly held up North Langley stores with a hatchet are facing a variety of criminal charges.
James Donald Gunn and Nicole Jean Gunn, both 31, have been arrested and are in custody, with a court appearance on Feb. 6.
Langley Mounties believe James robbed both a Subway restaurant on Jan. 20, and the Lotus Day Spa on Jan. 25, both in Walnut Grove.
He has been charged in relation to the robberies, and with two counts of wearing a disguise with intent.
Nicole Jean has been charged with flight from a peace officer and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in relation to the spa robbery.
A “hatchet type weapon†was used in both robberies, said Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
Marks said the investigation had been an ongoing one that drew in officers from within and outside of the Langley RCMP detachment.
Langley Serious Crime took charge, with the Street Enforcement Unit giving support. The Langley Drug Section, Prolific Offender Enforcement Team, general duty officers, forensic identification, the ERT, Police Dog Services, and Air One all worked on the case, Marks said.
“This was a huge undertaking amongst all of our support units co-ordinating an investigation into a series of similar armed robberies in the Walnut Grove area,†said Supt. Derek Cooke, the officer in charge of the Langley detachment. “The efforts of these various units have no doubt played a significant role in making the community safer.â€